The Second Mrs Bennet
by RoniAllan
Summary: In this story I wonder what might have happened if Mrs. Bennet died the year before the opening of the original P&P and Mr. Bennet married a sensible lady. I try to follow the events of the original. HEA
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the seventh story I have posted on this website. As with most of my previous stories, it is based on my wondering what might have happened if something different had happened compared to the original.**

Mrs. Bennet was ill; this time it was not just her nerves, she really was ill. While she had often taken to her bed because of her nerves following some crisis or other, she really had been slowly losing her energy and her appetite. She had not been able to leave her bed for weeks and the apothecary had not been able to diagnose her problem. She had no dramatic symptoms; she just began to waste away. Mr. Bennet did not appear to be worried, but then he rarely ever was. He simply hid out in the library where he usually could be found, seemingly unconcerned with how his wife was faring or how the house and estate continued to operate in her absence.

Perhaps he simply assumed that his daughters, especially eighteen-year-old Elizabeth, would see that any problems were taken care of. Elizabeth, even though she was only the second-oldest, was the closest to him in temperament and intelligence. It may have been that he had also been as personable as she was when he was younger, but he had slowly withdrawn from the cares of his estate and the world. Yes, he could be described as indolent and uncaring; nothing appeared to bother him except the constant noise from his formerly excitable wife and five lively daughters. Fortunately for him, his library door was quite solid, at least solid enough to block out most of their noise.

So why, now that his wife truly did appear to be very sick, was he still apparently so unconcerned about her? It may have been because he had long ago realized that he had made a dreadful mistake in choosing Fanny Gardiner as his wife. But she had been so pretty, so pert, so lively, so attentive to him, so amenable to his advances, when she had just come out. She had been attracted to him as he appeared to be so wise and studious, even though he was not overly handsome. Of course, his being the heir to a small, but fine, estate in Hertfordshire was a major part of his attraction. Fanny's family was strictly in trade but, being quite successful, they had aspirations of moving up into the higher social classes. Snaring a landed gentleman would be a good first step in their ultimate goal of being recognized as gentle folk.

Her brother, Edward Gardiner, did not share his family's aspirations. He liked having his own business and worked hard at making it a success. He had found a wife from the north of England whose family was also in trade. Madeline Barrie understood him and his dreams and had helped him make his business profitable. She was content to live in London where she had a nice house and servants to help her raise her children. Mrs. Gardiner had recognized that her sister-in-law was not providing a good role model for her daughters, so she often invited the two oldest to come to London to stay with her so she could help them become proper ladies. As her own children came along, she was not able to devote as much time or energy to the youngest three Bennet daughters, so they were quite different from Jane and Elizabeth.

Mrs. Bennet's sister found her own husband while she had been visiting Longbourn and attracted the attentions of the local lawyer Philips. Mrs. Philips was much like Mrs. Bennet and was not a good influence on the youngest three Bennets.

The burden of care for Mrs. Bennet in her illness fell to the two oldest daughters, Jane and Elizabeth, with the more menial tasks being taken care of by their loyal housekeeper, Mrs. Hill. As Jane was only twenty, this was a heavy burden, indeed. There seemed to be nothing that they could do to help their mother overcome her illness as the apothecary was stumped as to what the problem was. They could only try to keep her comfortable and nourished. No matter what they tried, their mother slowly sank deeper into her lethargy.

The whole spring and early summer of 1810 was spent caring for her, to no avail. Finally, one morning she was simply gone from this world when Mrs. Hill first went to her. She found Mr. Bennet already in his library, but he did not react in any obvious way to her announcement. Jane and Elizabeth discovered the news for themselves when they went in to their mother. They could only hold each other in their grief. In their hearts, they knew this end was inevitable, but it still hit them hard. After all, she was their mother and the two of them had tried to care for her every day for months. They shed the first of many tears together, and then they went to tell their sisters, first Mary, then Kitty, then Lydia. They roused each from their beds and brought them in to say good-bye to their mother. Mr. Bennet finally came upstairs and found his five daughters trying to console each other. He did something that he had never done before; he put his arms around them all and joined them in their grief. "Girls," he said, "I am so sorry for you all, losing your Mother like this. How are we ever going to cope without her?"

Eventually, he left them to take care of the necessities caused by her death while they went to get ready for the day. He wrote notes to the Gardiners and the Philipses. The message to the Gardiners he sent to London by messenger. He also wrote notes to the parson to arrange for the funeral and to the undertaker to take care of the body. These three letters he had one of his staff deliver. Mr. and Mrs. Philips arrived very shortly; the other two soon after. As everyone had anticipated what the final outcome of Mrs. Bennet's illness would be, no one was very surprised, but Mrs. Philips immediately joined the girls in their lamentations.

As Mr. Philips was their lawyer as well as a relative, he made sure that Mr. Bennet did what was necessary and the final arrangements were quickly made with his assistance. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner arrived the next day, having left their very young children at home in the care of their nurse. They stayed only for the funeral, and then had to return home. The funeral was well attended as the Bennets, being the owners of one of the largest estates in the area, were well known and respected.

After everyone had gone home, Lizzy went into the library and went to her father to be held and comforted by him. "Lizzy, I am so sorry things had to end this way. I know that you and Jane did what you could for your mother and were very attentive to her needs, so this must be especially difficult for you. I am very proud of you."

These words brought more tears to Lizzy's eyes. "Father, this has been a few difficult months for all of us. What are we going to do without her?"

"I am going to have to rely on you and Jane to look after everything that your mother took care of around the house. I am sorry to put this burden on you, but it has to be. We will respect the full six months of deep mourning, so that will take us up to Christmas. After the New Year, we will slowly begin to go into society again. I am most worried about your youngest sisters. I know that Kitty, and especially Lydia, need more discipline in their lives as they have begun to run wild. I expect that they will not take kindly to having their older sisters try to rein them in, so I will try to pay closer attention to them."

"I agree, Father. Maybe our enforced loss of entertainments for six months will help them change their behaviour. Jane and I will try to pay closer attention to them. I guess that we will see mainly our Aunt Philips while we are in mourning. I will suggest to Jane that one of us goes with them whenever they go out to Meryton to make sure that they behave as they should."

"I will ask that Jane continue to act as the mistress of the house as she has for the past few months, but I am sure that you will help her whenever she needs it. I guess the only good thing to come out of this sorrow is that it will be very good practice for the both of you for when you are the mistresses of your own establishments. I just hope that day will not come too soon as I will need the two of you to help me with your sisters."

That summer and fall passed by very slowly for the five Bennet daughters as they were not allowed to go to any entertainments. The only exceptions were regular visits to their Aunt Philips and shopping excursions into Meryton. Mr. Bennet ran the estate the way he had always run it—with a minimum of effort on his part. This likely meant that their annual revenue was not nearly what it could have been, but, as it was sufficient for their modest lifestyle, he did nothing more. Jane took on most of the duties of being mistress of the house, but as the housekeeper had been there for many years, she did not need much direction.

Finally, Christmas came, and was celebrated quietly at Longbourn. The main excitement, besides the festive season, was that Mr. Bennet had said that their period of deep mourning would end at the New Year. They all looked forward to being able to begin to visit more friends and attend the monthly Assemblies held in Meryton. Being typical young ladies, they loved to dance and to socialize.


	2. Chapter 2

In mid January, Mr. Bennet received a visit in his library from Elizabeth, as often happened. "Lizzy, I am glad to see you today as I have been thinking. I can see that Longbourn needs a real mistress to reduce the burden that I have placed on you and Jane. What would you think if I suggested that I should take a new wife?"

Elizabeth was not expecting this, especially as they were just beginning to take advantage of the social activities once again. "Father, I suppose I had considered that this would be a possibility at some point in time, but I did not expect you to mention it so soon. I have not thought about it much, but I can see there may be some good aspects to it and some not so good. My greatest worry would be that we would have to get used to someone else's ways of doing things when we have become set in our ways here. We would know nothing about an unknown lady coming in as our stepmother. The possible benefits I would expect are that Jane and I would not have to look after everything about the house and she may be able to exercise more control over Lydia and Kitty. She would also provide company and comfort for you." She said this last with a blush.

"Something you have not mentioned is that, if she is young enough, we might have a son so that entail would not be relevant. You know how worried your mother was about losing her home if I died before she did. If I had a son, he would inherit Longbourn and could provide a home for whoever of you still might be here.

"What if my new wife were not an unknown lady? What if she were known to you?"

"So you have been thinking about this? You must mean someone here in Meryton; someone who would be willing to inherit five stepdaughters; someone known to us. At the moment I cannot think of who you mean."

"Lizzy, you have not answered my question. Would a new Mrs. Bennet be acceptable to you? If you will be all right with this, I am confident that the other girls will be as well."

"If you are thinking about someone we all know and like, it will be difficult, at least at first, to treat her as a mother substitute, but I am sure that we can learn to accept her. Who were you thinking of?"

"Why do you not invite Charlotte Lucas over for a visit?"

"Charlotte! Really? Although now that I think about her, I know that she is becoming very despondent at not having received any offers at all. She is twenty-six and is very anxious about her future. She is very worried that she will be a permanent burden on her family if she does not marry. I know that she desperately wants to be able to have her own household to get away from her parents. I believe that she would accept an offer even if there is no love, at least at first. She is young enough to bear children and we all like her.

"Yes, Father, I agree with your choice and I will invite her over. She will never suspect what you are considering about doing."

The next morning, Charlotte came to visit Elizabeth, at her request. After their initial greetings, she said that her father wanted to talk to her. They went to the library and she tapped on the door and opened it. "Good morning, Miss Lucas, please come in." Elizabeth closed the door and left them there.

"Miss Lucas, thank you for coming to see me. You may be surprised at the reason why I wanted to talk to you, so please be patient with me. Mrs. Bennet has been gone for more than six months and I have learned some very important facts. Mainly, I miss having a wife, even though Mrs. Bennet and I did not always see eye to eye. Jane and Lizzy have had to assume responsibility for looking after my household, which is not fair to them. I also see that Kitty and Lydia need someone to teach them proper deportment and manners. I have come to realize that I need a wife." Charlotte now began to suspect why Mr. Bennet had asked to speak to her, but just could not believe it.

"I spoke to Lizzy about this and she was not enthusiastic about having a stranger come in to such an important position. I agree with her. She does agree that a new Mrs. Bennet would be a good idea, even though she may face some problems with my youngest daughters. On considering who of our acquaintance might be willing to take on this role, you are the best candidate by far. We all like you and know that you are very capable of assuming the role of Mistress of Longbourn. So, Miss Lucas, or should I say Charlotte, would you be interested in becoming the new Mrs. Bennet? I will not insist on an immediate answer, but will you consider my offer?"

Charlotte was stunned to hear this as she certainly had not been expecting it when Lizzy invited her over. "Mr. Bennet, thank you for even considering me. You surprised me as I have never even thought about this being a possibility. You have given me a lot to think about. I will consider what you said and will let you know as soon as I make a decision. I will admit that I am honoured even to be considered for such an important post."

She left the library in a daze and went to find her friend. She was in the sitting room with her sisters, so Elizabeth, on seeing that Charlotte was looking very thoughtful, immediately invited her to go up to her room where she knew they would have time to talk alone.

"Charlotte, I believe that my father spoke to you about his desire to take a wife; is that right?"

"Yes, he did, and he asked me if I were interested in being his wife. He said that he would give me time to consider his offer, so I have lots to think about."

"Charlotte, he suggested you, and I agreed with him. We all like you and I believe that all of my sisters would welcome you into our home. None of them know about this, so it will be a surprise when they find out. It may take a while for them to accept the fact that Father wants a new wife and that he chose you, but I am very confident that they will welcome you. If I might make a suggestion, you know that Kitty, and especially Lydia, need discipline. I would recommend that you insist that, if you accept, Father will give you full support in setting rules for them. Get control of their pin money and use that as a threat to them. I am very worried that their undisciplined behaviour will bring shame to us all if they are not taught proper manners. That will be the most difficult challenge if you accept him." Although Lizzy did not mention the other main concern that she felt, she wondered how Charlotte would feel about welcoming her father into her bed, as, in her mind, her father was so old.

"Lizzy, I have a lot to think about. Will you excuse me if I go home to think?"

"Of course not. As a parting word, I really hope that you accept his offer. I will welcome you as a member of our family, as I am sure we all will."

Charlotte left to walk home very slowly, thinking. Her main thoughts revolved around being able to get away from her home so she would not be an encumbrance on her family as she had come to fear. She had never had a suitor, nor were there any in sight. She assumed that her plain appearance was the main reason for this, but Mr. Bennet did not seem to be concerned about that. Of course, being so much younger than he was, her relative youth may be an attractive feature to him. She would not end up an old maid, dependent on the charity of her family. She could have her own establishment! Of course, this establishment came with five potential problems. Would the girls accept her in place of their mother as she was not that much older than they are? Lizzy had assured her that they would, but she was not sure about the youngest girls. Longbourn and the Bennet family were well respected in the region, so that was another positive feature. She knew that the Longbourn estate returned a reasonable income, which compared very favourably with the income from her father's estate of Lucas Lodge, so her small dowry was not a serious problem.

She thought about Mr. Bennet as her husband. He was much older than she was, but she did not dislike him. His features were not unpleasant; when she thought about him as other than the father of her friend, she thought that she actually liked his mature appearance. She did not love him, nor did he love her, but they liked each other. She thought that this was a very good beginning. She blushed when she wondered if he would want to take her as his complete wife, but she assumed that he would. On thinking of this aspect of marriage, she knew he would at least be well-experienced, but then she thought that he would not be too demanding. She knew that he was a gentle person, so she was sure that he would never be rough with her. She knew about the entail, so she hoped she could provide him with the son that he so desperately wanted. When she thought about having children of her own to hold and care for, she felt a warmth run through her, which surprised her. She had not been aware that she had a strong maternal instinct.

By the time she reached home, she was very inclined to accept his offer. She decided that she would talk to her mother first before she committed herself. She went in and asked to speak to her privately. When they had sat down with tea, she opened her heart to her mother and told her what had happened and all of her thoughts on the matter.

"Oh, my darling girl! In one way I am so happy for you as I know how worried you have been about your future. I am only sorry that this offer was not from a gentleman who was young and handsome, but Mr. Bennet is not ugly; I find him to be quite distinguished-looking. You know that your father and I will support you in whatever you decide to do. I can only say that, if you like him and decide that you will be comfortable as Mrs. Bennet, then you should accept his offer. My main concern is that you will be acquiring five stepdaughters who are not much younger than you are who may have problems accepting you in your new role. Will you be able to discipline the youngest ones when they need it? We should go talk to your father to see if he has any other thoughts on this." The one important consideration that her mother did not mention was the question if she would be happy. At Charlotte's age, happiness was no longer an important concern.

They went to Sir William and told him everything. He was not surprised that Mr. Bennet had decided to remarry, but he had never expected that his daughter would even be considered. However, when they discussed the entail on Longbourn, he realized that a young wife who could produce a son was a wise decision on Bennet's part. To himself, he thought that Bennet would want a young wife after having lived with Mrs. Bennet for so many years. Being not much older than Bennet, he knew that a young wife could reinvigorate an older man whose energy and capabilities might be dwindling. In a way, he was almost envious of Bennet. However, to his wife and daughter, he could only say that he would also support Charlotte in whatever she decided, and that he thought that Bennet's offer was attractive. He had also worried about the future of his oldest daughter.

With the support of both her parents, Charlotte decided she would accept Mr. Bennet's proposal.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Charlotte again went to Longbourn. She asked Mrs. Hill, who had answered the door, to see Mr. Bennet. She was taken to his library and sat down in front of his desk. "Mr. Bennet, Thomas, I have thought very carefully about your offer, and I accept. However, my main concern is with something that you mentioned—the need to improve the behaviour of Kitty and Lydia. I will take on this responsibility if you will give me your full support in whatever I need to do, including full control of their pin money."

Mr. Bennet got up from behind his desk and went to her. He took her hand and said, "Charlotte, I am very glad to hear that. I will try to be a good husband to you and promise to support you in whatever you need to do about changing the behaviour of Kitty and Lydia. I will also give you full support in your role as Mistress of Longbourn. I am sure that you will have complete co-operation from Jane and Lizzy, but it may take a while before the others accept you as their stepmother.

"I will go talk to your father in the morning. I assume that you will not want a long betrothal? Should we marry in a month?"

"A month should be enough time for the banns to be read and my mother to arrange for the wedding. Should we go tell everyone now?"

Mr. Bennet put his arms around her and held her for a moment. "Charlotte, I am looking forward to having you here. I will try to make you happy." This simple act of being held by a man affected Charlotte much more than she had expected as she had never before had felt a man's arms around her. This made her wonder if this marriage just might bring her more than she had expected.

They went out to the sitting room where all the girls were busy at their normal morning duties. He said, "Girls, I have something to tell you. I have asked Charlotte to be my wife and she has agreed. I ask that you accept her as your stepmother and Mistress of Longbourn and give her the respect that she deserves."

Lizzy was the first to jump up and hug Charlotte. "I am so happy for you! Welcome to our family. Have you set a date for the wedding?"

"We decided that we do not want a long engagement, so in a month from now."

Jane was right behind Lizzy and seconded her congratulations very warmly. The youngest three sat stunned, completely surprised at this announcement. Mary was the next to go to Charlotte. "Charlotte, I admit that I am surprised, but am happy to hear this. I can only hope that you and Father will be happy." She also gave Charlotte a hug.

Mr. Bennet looked pointedly at Kitty and Lydia. "Girls! Are you not going to welcome Charlotte into our family?" With this encouragement, they got up and also offered their congratulations, although not nearly as warmly. They were unsure of what this would mean to them, and worried that Charlotte would be a tough disciplinarian as her manners were always very ladylike. They worried that they would not be able to do as they pleased, as their mother had long permitted.

The next day, Mr. Bennet went to see Sir William to discuss the marriage settlement. "Well, Sir William, I am sure that you know why I am here. I am in want of a wife and Charlotte is in need of a husband. I have asked her to be my wife and she has agreed. While she does not need your permission, I would like to have your blessing, as I am sure she does as well."

"Thomas, I know that this is an unusual situation, but Lady Lucas and I believe that it will be good for both of you. We both give you our blessing very willingly."

They both knew that Charlotte had only a small dowry, but Mr. Bennet said that he would not touch it but would save it for her in the event of his death. Sir William was quite satisfied with this.

Word of this unusual betrothal soon was known by everyone in Meryton. Most of the residents there were surprised, but, on further thought, they could see that it made sense that Mr. Bennet would want to remarry and that Charlotte Lucas would agree to his request. Sir William and Lady Lucas issued a general invitation to all of their neighbours to attend both the wedding ceremony and the wedding breakfast that would be held at Lucas Lodge. All five Bennet ladies became involved in helping Charlotte prepare for her wedding and her removal to Longbourn. While Jane and Elizabeth were enthusiastic about their assistance, the youngest three were still uncertain what the change in role by Charlotte might mean to them.

When Elizabeth found herself alone with Charlotte, she asked, "Charlotte, I am so excited about having you here, but I have to admit that I have trouble thinking of you as Father's wife. Let me assure you that Jane and I will help you in any way that we can. We will be very glad to let you take over as Mistress of Longbourn.

"I should also tell you that Father seems to be excited at the thought of marrying you. I believe he has found that he does not like to be without a wife."

"Lizzy, I am so looking forward to being here. I know that the most difficult part of being here will be trying to improve the behaviour of Kitty and Lydia. I may have to be quite stern with them until they realize how I expect them to behave. I will likely have to become more forceful in many areas as I settle into my new role until I am accepted. I find it difficult to believe that I will become your protector rather than your friend." She blushed and said, "I am also nervous of being a wife. I like your father, but there are certain parts that I am not sure of. However, I trust him and am sure that it will all work out for the best for everyone."

"Charlotte, you know that Father is a very gentle man. I admit that I am not sure what is actually involved, but married couples seem to get used to each other. I hope that you will be patient and will soon become comfortable with him." While Elizabeth wanted to pursue this topic further, she knew that she did not dare as it was much too personal. She could only hope that her father would treat her friend gently so that the physical aspects of their marriage would not be a problem. She also hoped that they would produce a brother for her so the eventual transfer of ownership of Longbourn would not disrupt their family as they had long feared if some distant cousin were to inherit the estate.

The wedding day finally arrived and Charlotte had asked Lizzy to stand up with her. Mr. Bennet had asked his brother-in-law Philips to stand up with him. He thought that this arrangement would show Philips that the death of his sister did not mean that they would no longer have any role in the Bennet family. The church was packed as this wedding meant the uniting of two of the leading families in the area. Most of the guests also went to the wedding breakfast, so Lucas Lodge was crowded.

The new Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were surrounded by well-wishers before they managed to get to their carriage to leave. Jane and Elizabeth were the last to say good-bye to them. Lizzy could not resist teasing Charlotte. "We will see you in a couple of days, Mother!"

Charlotte laughed and said, "I never want you to call me that again! I am still just Charlotte to you. Good-bye!"

The newly-married couple left to spend the first couple days of their marriage at a nice inn that was not too far from Meryton. The Bennet daughters went back to Longbourn where their main duty was to make sure that all of Charlotte's personal clothes and other belongings were brought from Lucas Lodge and safely stowed in the room that previously was occupied by their mother. This room had been unused since their mother's death and they had had to clean out all of their Mother's belongings.

When Mr. and Mrs. Bennet reached the inn that was their destination, they went up and the staff brought their trunks up. They had separate rooms and arrived just in time to bathe and dress for dinner, which was served in a private dining room. After they had prepared for bed, Charlotte got into her bed and waited. Soon her husband tapped on her door and entered. "Charlotte, I hope that it is all right that I came to you?"

"Of course; you are my husband." She pulled back the covers and invited him to come in. He did and wrapped his arms around her.

"I hope you are not afraid. I promise that I will be very gentle." Mr. Bennet had been married for many years and was obviously quite experienced. As he knew what he was doing, he soon had Charlotte more relaxed and she became quite enthusiastic about his ministrations. By the time he was finished, she found that marital relations could be very enjoyable, indeed. Not being so young any more, he was satisfied and went to sleep after just one encounter. Charlotte lay awake for some time, smiling at the new sensations that she had felt for the very first time.

Their return to Longbourn saw all five Bennet girls out to meet them. They all saw that Charlotte was glowing, so they knew that their first nights together had gone well. They led her up to their Mother's former room, where she saw that they had put all her clothes in the armoires. Their first dinner together as a family was jolly was they were generally glad to see her assume the duties of the Mistress. Only Kitty and Lydia were still not sure how their new stepmother would affect their freedoms. They were soon to learn, but Charlotte was clever and only slowly took away their freedom of action to rein in their wilder behaviours. She found that she only had to remind them that she had complete control of their pin money to get their attention and obedience. Jane and Lizzy were glad to transfer their household duties over to her, with the full support and cooperation of Mrs. Hill, who had been at Longbourn for many years.

Charlotte did make it quite obvious to Kitty and Lydia what they were not allowed to do, both at home and when they went out. Her main threats were that she would ground them from any entertainments if they misbehaved in any way that reflected badly on the family. She also made it clear that she had full control of their pin money and would not hesitate to withhold it for the same reason. The two youngest girls did not like these new restrictions at all, but realized that Charlotte had the full backing of their father, so they had to abide by them.

Charlotte also began to work on Mary, but not by restricting her behaviour. Rather, she encouraged her to dress more attractively and to wear her hair in nicer styles. She also tried to wean her off reading _Fordyce's Sermons_ in favour of non-religious books, including histories, poems, and even novels. She solicited the assistance of Jane and Elizabeth to include Mary in more of their activities, thus attempting to make Mary more sociable and less introspective. Her hope for Mary was that she would become more attractive to young gentlemen. Charlotte knew, from her own experience that she had to whatever she could to help them all find suitable husbands before they were considered to be too old to marry well.

In spite of the discontent of the two youngest girls, Charlotte believed that her efforts were slowly becoming successful; Mary was gradually losing her dependence on religious tracts and the two youngest were becoming less wild in their flirtatiousness and more respectable in their behaviour. As Charlotte was finding that her role as Mistress of Longbourn was not onerous and the requisite duties did not take much of her time, she spent more time with all five Bennet girls, often accompanying them on their shopping forays into Meryton. She took time to help them with their wardrobes, and found the funds to enlarge their stock of dresses. She had found that the first Mrs. Bennet had seemed to waste a lot of money on unnecessary expenditures, so she had extra cash from her household accounts. Of course, this endeared her to all of the girls. Charlotte did not mind spending money on their clothes as she shared their mother's concerns over their futures; she wanted them to be able to attract decent suitors.

That summer of 1811 was proving to be pleasurable for all of the Bennets. They went to the Meryton Assemblies that were held nearly every month, but the lack of any new young gentlemen was beginning to make them less interesting. Dancing with the same young men every month who had no new topics of conversation was slowly losing its appeal. Typical of most young women, they greatly enjoyed dancing, even if their partners were not all that interesting or competent on the dance floor.

The most interesting event that happened late that summer occurred when Charlotte announced that she was with child. Of course, Mr. Bennet was proud of himself and he desperately hoped for a son. The girls were excited that they would have a baby in the house. Charlotte began to glow as only expectant mothers-to-be can. Charlotte and Mrs. Hill went to the nursery that had been unused for many years, except when the Gardiners brought their children to visit, to see what needed to be done to make it serviceable once more.

Another change that had occurred very slowly was that Charlotte had become more secure and assured in her role of wife and stepmother. She had become very protective of her stepdaughters and had learned to be more forceful in her defense of them.


	4. Chapter 4

September brought exciting news when Mrs. Long visited to say that Netherfield Park, the largest estate in the area, was let at long last, and that the occupant was a young man of large fortune from the north of England. All five girls were curious to know if he was handsome and if he might be in want of a wife. Charlotte immediately saw an opportunity for a possible future connection for one of them, so she went to her husband as soon as Mrs. Long had left. As he had become quite enamoured with his young wife, he could not refuse her anything. He was finding that his new wife had made him feel young again. As she was quite content with her husband, she first of all kissed him on his cheek before speaking.

"Thomas, have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?"

"I admit that I have not. Where did you hear that?"

"Mrs. Long was here and heard in the village from the housekeeper. Apparently the new occupant is a Mr. Bingley, a single young man of good fortune who will take possession by the end of the month. My dear, I hope that you will find time to visit him so that we might become acquainted with him. You know that the girls are becoming quite disillusioned with the lack of eligible young men here, so any newcomer will be a welcome distraction. I will depend on you to determine if he might be suitable for any of them. If you approve of him, we can only hope that he will come to the next Assembly so he can meet them." Charlotte knew by now that she could get her husband to do whatever she wanted by convincing him that whatever it was, it would be good for his daughters.

"All right, my dear. When he arrives, I will call on him and assess his suitability as husband material. I will also tell him about our Assemblies and invite him to come to the next one.

"On another matter, I received a very strange letter from my cousin Collins, who is presently the heir to Longbourn. From the many words he used and the tone of his expressions, he must be a singular person, indeed. The gist of his missive is that he wants to overcome the breach that existed between our parents, or, as he says, to offer an olive branch to me. He wants to come to visit us so we can get to know each other. Apparently he has taken orders and was fortunate enough to secure a good living in Kent, near the estate of some grand lady whom he esteems very highly. This lady even said that a good way to bring our families closer together would be for him to look for a wife from among my daughters. It seems that Mr. Collins has such high regard for his esteemed patroness that he will follow her dictates even in such a personal area as the taking of a wife. From the tone of his letter, I believe that we will not find him in any way sensible. If he lives up to my expectations, he will certainly not be suitable for either Jane or Lizzy. I am not sure about the others, but we will see. You have improved them so much that I doubt it. If he proves to have any sense at all, Mary might be able to engage him in ecclesiastical discussions; then, who knows, but I will never force her to accept any one as her husband."

As the next Meryton Assembly was fast approaching, all five girls went through their new gowns to decide which one they would make them appear to be the most attractive for the new gentleman who their father had described as being quite handsome and very personable. Even Mary joined in with her sisters and they all went from room to room commenting on each other's choices. The bad news they shared was that they had heard that Mr. Bingley was bringing a large party from London and that the party included many more ladies than gentlemen. As Meryton seemed to have more ladies than eligible gentlemen, the last thing they wanted was more competition.

The night of the Assembly, all the Bennets finally were dressed in their finest, including Mr. Bennet, whose attendance had been requested by his wife so he could assure control of his youngest daughters. When the Bennet party arrived at the Assembly Room, they were greeted warmly by their many friends and were universally complimented on their fine appearance. When the Bingley party arrived, there were only five, including Mr. Bingley, his two sisters, one of whom brought her husband, and a friend of his. Everyone first noticed that Bingley constantly smiled and seemed to be pleased by everything and everyone that he saw. His two sisters were dressed in what appeared to be the height of fashion in London, which meant an excess of feathers and bright orange colours. Everyone's first impression of the sisters was not favourable as they did not appear to be impressed by anything they saw. The husband, Mr. Hurst, did not see anything after he spied the refreshment table, where he immediately went to sample the food and especially the drinks. Bingley's friend, Mr. Darcy, was obviously very tall and handsome, but his manners soon seemed to be so haughty that everyone became disgusted with him. He never smiled, but appeared to look with disfavour at everything that he saw. Even though word soon spread that his income was about ten thousand per year and that he had a fine estate in Derbyshire, he was not looked on as a person that anyone wanted to befriend.

Mr. Bennet, having already visited Bingley at Netherfield to welcome him into the neighbourhood, introduced him to his family and Bingley immediately asked Charlotte to dance. She found that he was a good dancer and an easy conversationalist; he made a very good impression on her. Next he danced with Jane, to her great pleasure. Bingley did not sit out even one dance. He danced with every Bennet lady and many other young ladies as well.

On the other hand, Darcy danced only twice, once with each of Bingley's sisters. As there were more ladies than gentlemen at the Assembly, many ladies were forced to sit out a number of dances. Once, when Elizabeth was sitting, she overheard Bingley berate Darcy for not dancing.

"Come, Darcy," said he, "I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance."

"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an Assembly as this, it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."

"I would not be as fastidious as you are," cried Bingley, "for a kingdom! Upon my honour I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life, as I have this evening; and there are several of them, you see, uncommonly pretty."

_"__You_ have been dancing with the only handsome girl in the room," said Mr. Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.

"Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say, very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you."

"Which do you mean?" and, turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till, catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt _me_; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me." With that, Darcy stalked off, leaving Bingley to shake his head.

Elizabeth was close enough to them to have heard every word of this exchange, much to her mortification. She rose and went to Charlotte, to whom she repeated the whole conversation that she had overheard. Charlotte was horrified that any lady would be subject to such an insult, especially one of her stepdaughters who she felt very protective of. Her anger got the better of her, and she immediately went to confront Mr. Darcy, who was off standing by himself.

"Mr. Darcy!" she said this quietly, but with great emotion. "My stepdaughter Elizabeth just told me how you insulted her appearance to your friend. I thought you were a gentleman! I admit that I am not familiar with good manners in town, but I could not imagine that anyone who considers himself to be a gentleman would ever say such a thing to anyone, much less in the hearing of the lady in question. Miss Elizabeth is a lady who was gently born and raised. Her father is a gentleman whose estate of Longbourn has been in the family for hundreds of years. How could you possibly have said that about her? I cannot believe that anyone who considers himself to be a gentleman could behave in such an ungentlemanlike manner." Darcy could not believe that he had been confronted like this as it had never happened to him before.

"Well sir, are you a gentleman or not? If you are, you owe her a sincere apology, both for saying such a thing out loud and for being so wrong in your assessment of her appearance. If you actually look at Miss Elizabeth, you will see that she a very attractive lady. If you do not apologize to her right now, I will raise my voice to let everyone know what kind of friend Mr. Bingley brought into our community. What do you think his reception will be after word of your behaviour becomes known through the whole area in about four and twenty hours, or even less? I am waiting, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy was completely shocked at Mrs. Bennet's words. First of all, he was stunned that any lady would have the temerity to confront him so boldly in a public place, especially as the lady appeared to be about his own age and he had just met her. But then, when her accusations of not behaving in a gentleman-like manner made him realize just how inappropriate his words to Bingley were, he was embarrassed to his core. He had always considered himself to be a consummate gentleman, so to have a lady point out just how improper his words and actions were made him realize how wrong he was. He then considered that she had spoken to him quietly so no one else could hear, which he acknowledged was the most courteous way that she could have berated him so thoroughly. Her threat that his behaviour could make Bingley censured, and perhaps even shunned, by his neighbours was very serious. He knew that Bingley desperately wanted to be considered as a landed gentleman, and if his first attempt at running an estate ended so disastrously, he may not forgive his friend, no matter how close they were.

"Mrs. Bennet, you are absolutely correct and I do owe Miss Elizabeth an apology. I will go do it now." He looked over and saw that the lady in question was with several of her sisters.

"Wait until I get her alone so no one else will know what you did. Make it sincere, and you might even ask her to dance to try to make amends, even if you dislike the activity so much." Charlotte went to Elizabeth and pulled her away from her sisters. "You did not say anything to them about what Mr. Darcy had said, did you?"

Elizabeth shook her head and saw that Mr. Darcy was coming to them. "Miss Elizabeth, I apologize most humbly for what I said about you to Bingley. I was wrong both to think it and to say it. Now that I really look at you, I freely acknowledge that you are one of the most handsome women in my acquaintance. I can only say that I have been in a very bad mood recently because of something else, and I took it out on both Bingley and you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Elizabeth looked at him and saw that he indeed did look repentant and that his apology was heartfelt. When she looked at him, she again saw how tall and handsome he was, so she smiled gently at him. "I will forgive you, sir, and will accept your excuse that other things are foremost in your mind. I thank you for your apology and kind words."

Darcy was struck by her gentle words and noticed that she was even more attractive when she smiled. "Thank you for your forgiveness for my very rude behaviour. If you are not already engaged to dance, may I humbly ask for your hand for the next set?"

"I am not committed and it would be my pleasure to dance with you." He took her hand and led her to the dance floor, marveling at the gracious lesson he had just been taught by people he had previously considered to be country nobodies. He shook his head at how adroitly both ladies had handled the situation.


	5. Chapter 5

Their two dances went very well and Elizabeth engaged him in light conversation, even though Darcy appeared to be disinclined to talk while they danced. She appreciated what a fine dancer he was, and what an attractive couple they made. She noticed that many people were watching them in admiration, especially as he had not danced with any other local lady before Miss Elizabeth. The one exception to the widespread admiration was Miss Bingley, who appeared to be glaring at her. Elizabeth, being her usual saucy self, just smiled benignly at her. Before the second dance ended, she said, "Mr. Darcy, I notice that you have not danced much tonight, yet you are a very good dancer. Do you not care to dance at all? Or is it that you do not like to dance with ladies you do not know well? I hope that you realize that young ladies really like to dance and that you could give them great pleasure by asking them, especially when there is shortage of gentlemen, such as tonight."

"Miss Elizabeth, I will be honest with you. I do like to dance, but in town I have found that if I ask a lady to dance, they and their mothers almost consider that to be the first step to matrimony. I find it better not to ask at all."

"That is such a shame as I know that, at least here at these Assemblies, ladies consider dancing to be just a pleasant way to spend time with gentlemen. Just look at my younger sisters, who would love to dance but have not had the chance to be on the floor very much tonight. Would it be asking too much if I sincerely requested that you ask them to dance tonight? I promise you that you will be making many friends if you do that."

"You are correct again, Miss Elizabeth. I will do as you ask. That is the least I can do for you."

For the next dance, he asked Mrs. Bennet and took the opportunity to apologize to her for his rudeness to Miss Elizabeth. Next, he asked Mary, who was extremely pleased to be so singled out. Then he danced with Kitty, then Lydia. He noticed that Mrs. Bennet had been with her youngest stepdaughters for most of the evening and almost appeared to be guarding them. Following the lesson about talking while dancing that he had learned from Miss Elizabeth, he made an effort to speak to each of them whenever they came together in the intricate steps of the dance. He did see that they all seemed to be pleased, both to be dancing and to be engaged in light conversation.

After the Assembly, when they had returned to Netherfield, Bingley and Darcy went to the billiards room for a game and a final glass of brandy. "Bingley, I saw that you danced with Miss Bennet several times. Do you like her?"

"She is the most beautiful woman I have ever met, and the nicest. When I talk to her, I get lost in her beauty and her smiles. She makes me want to think about settling down and marrying. I know what you are going to say, that she is just my latest angel after a long string of them. Darcy, this one feels different from all the others. When I compare what I feel about her, the others now seem to have been just superficial. But do not worry, I know that I just met her and want to get to know her for a lot longer than one evening. I intend to go to Longbourn in the morning to say hello to all the Bennet ladies and to thank them for an enjoyable evening. I had more fun tonight than I have had for a long time. I had not realized that a country Assembly could be so much fun."

The next morning, Bingley and Darcy did go to Longbourn to pay their respects to the Bennets. Charlotte welcomed them and invited them to stay for tea. Both gentlemen were impressed by the gentility of all six of the ladies, but neither paid much attention to any of them except for the two oldest daughters. While they were enjoying their tea and pastries, Bingley engaged in constant conversation with all the ladies. Darcy generally remained silent except when Charlotte, and occasionally Elizabeth, asked questions of him. After they all had enjoyed their tea, Charlotte was not bashful but asked Jane and Elizabeth to show the gentlemen the gardens. They dressed for the cool weather and went out. Bingley offered his arm to Jane, so Darcy offered his to Elizabeth.

Darcy seemed less reticent when he was with only her. "I understand that your mother died a year ago and that your father remarried just this year."

"Yes, that is correct. Mother's illness lasted for many months and it was a blessing when the end came. After many months alone, Father asked what I thought about his remarrying, and I told him that I wanted him to be happy. Miss Charlotte Lucas was my best friend, so I did not object when he suggested her. I believe that she has done a good job in becoming Mistress of Longbourn and taking my youngest sisters in hand. I am not sure if you realized that she is with child. This may be important as the estate is entailed to a distant cousin who will inherit if Father does not have a son."

"I understand about losing your mother. My mother died many years ago when my sister was born and my father died just five years ago. Upon my father's death, I inherited the estate and responsibility for my sister."

Elizabeth held Darcy's arm tighter. "Mr. Darcy, that was a very young age to have so much responsibility thrust upon your shoulders. It could not have been easy for you. When our mother died, Jane and I had to assume many of the duties of our mother. We were pleased when Father married Charlotte and she undertook those duties off our shoulders." She smiled up at him in sympathy.

Darcy was confused by his feelings. For years he had been pursued by single ladies and their mothers and he had learned never to show any interest in any lady. He knew that he was expected to marry an eligible lady from the highest social circles, but here was an attractive lady who had forgiven him for his unforgivable insult to her. There was something about her that he had never found in any of the ladies that he had met in town. Her obvious intelligence was a large part of her attraction; this was in such contrast to the superficial conversation that he had been forced to endure previously. Besides her relatively low social status, her lack of any significant dowry was another negative factor in even thinking of her as a possible wife.

Meanwhile, Bingley and Jane had wandered off by themselves, oblivious to anything but each other. Both Darcy and Elizabeth looked at them and saw that they were well on their way to falling in love, even though they had just met.

Their next meeting was at Lucas Lodge, where a large number of people had been invited for the evening. Sir William Lucas had invited Colonel Forster to the party as the Colonel was in Meryton to prepare for his militia regiment to come for the winter. Again, Darcy sought out Elizabeth while she was talking to Charlotte to join their conversation. After some time, Charlotte convinced her to go to the piano to play and sing, which captivated Darcy with her heartfelt performance. She was followed by her sister Mary, whose piece was not nearly as pleasing, even though it was technically quite proficient.

After the Netherfield party had returned home from Lucas Lodge, Miss Bingley again disparaged Miss Elizabeth as she was well aware of Darcy's attraction to her. However, she admitted to her sister that she thought that Miss Jane Bennet was the most interesting lady in the area. They decided to invite her to dine with them when the gentlemen went to dine with the militia officers.

The day that Jane was scheduled to go to Netherfield, she was not feeling well, but decided that she could not disappoint the Bingley sisters. Charlotte sent her in the carriage, but Jane kept feeling worse as the evening progressed. During dinner, she collapsed and was carried up to an empty bedroom and the apothecary was sent for.

In the morning, Jane sent a note to Longbourn explaining why she had not returned home. Elizabeth insisted that she must go to nurse Jane, but, as the horses were not available, she walked the three miles to Netherfield. The paths were muddy from recent rains, but that did not bother her; only her boots, skirt, and petticoat were muddied. Her appearance horrified Bingley's sisters, but Darcy thought that her complexion was heightened by the exercise. Elizabeth found that Jane's illness was not severe but she mainly needed a few days of rest. She said that she wanted to stay with Jane until she was better, so when Bingley asked her to stay, they sent a servant to Longbourn to have clothes brought to her.

Elizabeth spent most of her time with Jane to ensure her comfort, but she did go down several times each day to join her hosts when Jane was sleeping. She also found the library, which, although suffering from a dearth of books, provided her with several that she had not read before. On one visit, she found Mr. Darcy there. "Mr. Darcy! Please forgive me for disturbing you. I only want to find a book to read."

"Miss Elizabeth, not every disturbance is unwelcome. I come here primarily to escape certain unwanted attentions. I find that it is one of the few places where I can hide out successfully. What kinds of books do you prefer? There is a very limited selection here."

"I like to read many different kinds. My father's library is quite extensive and I have read most of them. I prefer histories, poetry, stories of exploration, and biographies, but I also like to try books that are new to me in any area. I mainly want that the books be well written."

"Your reading preferences are quite similar to mine, but I also find that I need to read books that might help me with my estate. I have been reading about crop rotation and animal husbandry, even though these areas are not very interesting if they are not relevant to the reader." Darcy reached up and pulled several books from the shelves. "Have you read these?"

Elizabeth looked at the books and selected two that she had not read. "Thank you." She smiled at him, which he appreciated. They talked some more about books before she took those two and went back to Jane.

Darcy found himself very conflicted. He knew that he was becoming more interested in Elizabeth as she was so different from all the other women he had met in town. She was so intelligent and well read that he enjoyed talking to her, which was the opposite of what he found with other women. He was beginning to believe that she was the kind of woman who would make him the perfect wife, but her position in society was so much below his that he feared that any long-term association with her could be detrimental to his future and especially to the future of his sister. He respected her so much that the last thing that he wanted was for her to develop any feelings for him that might lead to her eventual disappointment.


	6. Chapter 6

The next several days seemed to pass quickly. Darcy looked forward to any time when he was in Elizabeth's company, but Miss Bingley continued to sneer at her when she was not present. Jane was becoming much better and she and Elizabeth decided they would go home the next day, after church, as it would be Sunday. Jane spent most of Saturday with everyone else in the sitting room as she was feeling almost normal again. Bingley took advantage of her presence and he was constantly sitting beside her, talking quietly. That final dinner at Netherfield, he again sat beside her.

After dinner, Bingley asked for music, so Caroline went to the piano to show her proficiency. She was followed by her sister Louisa. Next, Darcy asked Elizabeth to play and sing. He sat beside her on the bench and turned the pages for her.

When Jane said she was ready to go up, Elizabeth rose to accompany her, but Bingley said that he would see her to her room. He offered his arm to her, which she took, and they went up. They went to the door of her room, which she opened but did not go in, instead turning to him. He said, "Miss Bennet, Jane, I hope you know how much I have come to admire you. You are such a wonderful person." He put his hand on the side of her face, and, when she smiled up at him, he impulsively kissed her very gently. She put her arms around his neck and returned his kiss, which quickly became much more passionate. He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him, without taking his lips from hers. They were becoming lost in each other. When they broke their kiss, he murmured, "Jane, oh my dearest Jane," and she pressed herself against him. Just then, they heard someone coming. Before they saw who it was, she pulled him into her room and closed the door.

In the morning, Elizabeth rose early, as she usually did. She dressed and went to see how Jane was this morning. She went to Jane's room and quietly opened the door, not wanting to wake her sister if she was still asleep. She went in and softly began to go to the bed when she realized that the head that she saw had not the blonde hair that she expected, rather it was reddish. She tiptoed closer and saw Jane's familiar head next to the reddish one. She was horrified and almost cried out loud. She managed to stifle herself and went back outside the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She leaned against the door frame and sobbed.

Just then, Darcy came along the hallway and saw her so upset. He could not help himself but took her into his arms to comfort her. "Elizabeth, was is it? What is the matter? Please tell me."

She sobbed into his chest, but managed to say, "I went to see how Jane is this morning, but there are two people in the bed! One has reddish hair. What has she done?"

"Bingley! It must be Bingley. He walked her up to her room last night. Are you quite certain what you saw?"

"Yes. They were right together; both sleeping." Darcy visualized this scenario, but thought of his head and Elizabeth's in that bed. He could not be angry with Bingley; rather, he envied him. He pulled Elizabeth closer to him and she did not resist. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

"We have to get Bingley out of there so he can get back to his room before anyone else finds them. He will have to marry your sister now; that is for sure."

"I cannot go back in there; it is too embarrassing. Will you help me?"

"Yes, I will go in with you and wake him up." He kept one arm around her waist and they went in together, very quietly. They went up to the bed and he put his hand on Bingley's shoulder. "Bingley! Wake up and get dressed. You have to get out of here before anyone sees you here." Bingley turned his head, eyes wide open when he realized what was happening. Elizabeth and Darcy turned and went out of the room; he still had his arm around her. They waited outside the room to make sure that no maid went in. Darcy again put his arms around her and held her close. In a few moments, Bingley came out, obviously having dressed himself very hurriedly.

Darcy said to him, "Bingley, go to your room and get dressed properly. We will talk later." Bingley left, looking very sheepish. Darcy was not sure why he had said this to his friend as he personally had no stake in the problem. He did not realize that he was feeling protective of Miss Elizabeth.

Darcy again had his arm around Elizabeth's waist. He said to her, "Elizabeth, please do not worry; I will make sure that he does the right thing by your sister." Darcy wanted nothing more than to keep holding her, but he knew that would not do. He did not even notice that he had addressed her quite familiarly. "Come. I will escort you to the breakfast room." She moved his arm from around her waist and put her hand on it. She did this reluctantly as it had felt so good to be held so closely. When she moved his arm, he became aware of how inappropriately he had acted with her. He knew that he must act in a restrained manner with her if he did not want her to develop any undue expectations of his intentions. In his own mind, he was completely conflicted. When he held her pressed against him, he knew that he wanted her, very much so; but in his mind he knew how inappropriate her family was for him to consider any permanent connection to them.

They went down the stairs together. Even though she wanted to go to Jane, she knew that she could not face her yet after what she had seen. This was easily the most embarrassing moment that she had ever felt.

When Bingley entered the breakfast room, he saw only Darcy and Elizabeth there, sitting next to each other. Bingley blushed as he saw them watching him. After he had filled his plate and found a seat, Darcy said, "Well, Bingley, have you asked Miss Bennet to marry you?"

"Not yet, but I will today for sure."

"I will not ask you for any details of how that came to pass, but I must remind you that Miss Bennet is a lady and you are a gentleman." Elizabeth put her hand on Darcy's arm as she saw that he was quite upset. He glanced at her, and then said, "Yes, you must ask her today and see Mr. Bennet today. The wedding will need to be held as soon as possible in case there are consequences of what you have done. We do not want any scandal, now, do we?"

As Elizabeth had finished eating, she rose and said, "I am going up to see Jane. I will make sure we are ready to go to church with you." She left and went up the stairs to Jane's room. She knocked on the door and went in, where she found that Jane was soaking in the tub and that she was alone.

"Jane, how are you feeling? You know that Mr. Darcy and I both saw that Mr. Bingley was in your bed this morning?" Jane blushed as she had not realized that. She thought that it was unusual that the maid had been assigned to help her had drawn a bath for her and suggested that she might want to soak in the tub for a while. When she woke up, she had been alone in her bed. She shook her head at her sister's question. "When I came to see how your night was, I saw him in your bed. I went out and was very upset. That is where Mr. Darcy found me and comforted me. We went in together and he woke Mr. Bingley and told him to go to his room before anyone else saw him. If your maid knew that you would want to soak in the tub, she must have known as well. I guess there are no secrets in this house. You will have to ask her not to tell anyone else.

"Now you should get ready for church. We have to act as if nothing unusual has happened. Mr. Bingley came into the breakfast room when Mr. Darcy and I were there and Mr. Darcy told him he had to ask for your hand today. Mr. Bingley said that he would, and would also talk to Father today." As much as Elizabeth wanted to ask Jane what it was like to be with Mr. Bingley, she did not dare; at least not yet. She went out to get ready for church and to go home today.

They all went to church together. After the service, Bingley asked Jane if he could walk with her back to Longbourn. Elizabeth joined them for propriety, but she walked more quickly than they did and soon left them behind. By the time they had reached Longbourn, she saw that Jane was smiling dreamily and knew that they were betrothed. Bingley went in to find Mr. Bennet, who was in his library.

Bingley was obviously very nervous. "Mr. Bennet, I have come to ask for your permission to wed your daughter."

Mr. Bennet interrupted him and said, "Which daughter? I do have five of them who are all available for you to choose from." He was going to have fun with such a nervous suitor.

Bingley stammered, "Miss Bennet, Miss Jane Bennet."

"Why would you want to do that?" Mr. Bennet had not heard what had happened the previous night, as no one had at Longbourn.

"Because I love her." Bingley could see that this interview was not going to be easy and he did not want to make it worse by admitting their transgression.

"Love? Such a fleeting emotion. How do you know that she will make a good wife for you? You have not known her for very long."

"She is so beautiful and kind, the gentlest person I have ever met. We get along so well already. I know that she will be a wonderful wife and mother and will be a great help to me in running an estate when I buy one."

"Now, as for your being able to support a wife and family; is it true that your income is about 5000 per year?"

"Yes, my father left me substantial investments and part ownership of his business which is in the north. I will have to go to my man of business in town to draft a settlement for you. We would like to marry as soon as possible, so I will do that right away if you give us permission to marry."

"So soon? Is there a reason for such a rush?"

Bingley blushed, but did not want to tell Jane's father that they had anticipated their vows very thoroughly. "We love each other so much that we do not want to start any gossip or scandal. An early wedding is what Miss Bennet and I decided on."

"I believe there may be more to this than you are telling me as she stayed at your house for the past few days, so, yes, I give you my permission and blessing. I will see to the reading of the banns and the booking of the church for the wedding as soon as you tell me the date."

"Thank you, sir." Mr. Bennet and Bingley went out together; Bingley was glad that he did not have to say anything about their night together. Neither Jane nor Lizzy said anything to their family until the two gentlemen came out and their father made the announcement. Charlotte immediately went to Jane to congratulate her, and was quickly followed by the other three sisters. While Lizzy wondered if Charlotte was suspicious about the need for a quick wedding, she decided that it was not her secret to tell; let Jane make the admission if she decided to. She realized that Charlotte might have her suspicions, but she would not embarrass her sister.

When the room was a bit quieter, Bingley said, "I have been thinking about having a ball at Netherfield to celebrate our betrothal. Do you think that might be a good idea?" Of course, this idea met with great approval and he left to talk to his sisters about arranging for a ball. He hoped they would approve as he had not even told them about his betrothal.

When he arrived at Netherfield, he found his sisters and Hurst together in the large sitting room. He said, "I have some news. Caroline, you are such a good hostess for me. How would you like to organize a ball that I would like to hold here as a celebration?"

The others were very surprised when he said this. "A ball! A celebration? A celebration of what?"

"I am going to get married. I asked Miss Bennet for her hand and she accepted. I would like to hold a ball to celebrate our betrothal. The ballroom here is large enough to accommodate all of the important local people. Do you think you could have it organized in about a week?"

Caroline was horrified. "Charles, are you out of your mind? Miss Bennet may be the nicest lady here, but she is still just a small-town country woman from a very small estate. You can do much better than her. Think of her family and how they will embarrass you. No one in town has ever heard of them; they have no connections, and she has hardly any dowry. Instead of holding a ball, we should all leave for town and close up the place. Your leasing this place was a big mistake. What were you thinking?"

"Caroline! Enough! I am going to marry Miss Bennet. If you will not organize a ball to celebrate our betrothal, then you can go to town and fend for yourself. I am committed; I asked her and she accepted. If that is your attitude towards her, then you will not have a home with us after we are married. I will not need you as my hostess. I have to go to town to speak to our lawyers about the settlement, but I will be gone for only a couple of days. If you are not here when I come back, or if you have not organized a ball, then we are finished.

"Louisa, if Caroline will not do this for me, will you?"

"Charles, I think you should leave us so we can talk alone. If you are going to town, should you not get ready? The sooner you go, the sooner you will be back."

"I need a day or two to sort out a couple of things here, so I will leave as soon as I can. I am very serious about this, and I expect that you will consult with my fiancée about the ball and the guest list. If it is not done when I get back, then we will be at an end."

Charles went out to find Darcy to tell him what he had said with his sisters. He found him hiding in the library and told him about his confrontation with his sisters. Darcy put his book down and said, "Bingley, you are committed and I hope it will work out for you. Miss Bennet is a beautiful and a very nice lady. I am sure you two will be happy with each other. However, remember that this is a big step that you are taking and it is completely out of character for you. Of course your sisters are upset. I suggest that you give them time to get used to the idea. You gave them an ultimatum, so wait to see what they do when you go to town. I hope you do not mind if I go with you as I do not want to be here while they decide what they will do. I do not want to be drawn into their discussion." In fact, Darcy did not want to be left with Miss Bingley in case she became desperate enough to trap him into marriage. He thought that he needed to distance himself from Miss Elizabeth so he could sort out his feelings for her.

The next morning, Bingley sorted out the issues at Netherfield that he was worried about, so he and Darcy went to Longbourn in the afternoon. Bingley sat with Jane and Darcy did what he seemed to do so often—he stood by the window and said very little to anyone unless he was asked a direct question. Bingley told Jane that he had asked his sisters to organize their ball and that he had told them to consult with her about the ball. He told her that he and Darcy would be going to town in the morning and that she should expect him back in just a couple of days. Although Elizabeth had hoped that she would have a chance to speak to Darcy, she never did.


	7. Chapter 7

That night, Lizzy went to Jane's room as she often did. "Jane, I am so happy for you, even though I cannot approve of how it came about. I know that you and Mr. Bingley will be very happy together. But please tell me, what was it like to be with him?"

"Oh, Lizzy! I cannot begin to describe how wonderful it was. You know that we so often wondered what it would be like to be with a husband, but it was much better than we could ever have imagined. I admit that the first time, it was over too soon for me to enjoy it, but the next times Charles was so patient with me that I was in heaven with him."

"The next _times_! Jane, really? Did it hurt?"

"Only a bit the first time. It was so wonderful just to be in his arms that I could not deny him anything, and I am glad that I did not even think about denying him whatever he wanted. It all began with just a kiss outside my room. When we heard someone coming, I impulsively pulled him into my room as I did not want that kiss to end. After that, we could not stop ourselves.

"Lizzy, I hope you will soon find out what it is like for yourself. What about you and Mr. Darcy?"

"Jane! We get along very well, but you know that his social class is so far above our own that he would never consider marrying me. A poor country girl like me would never be accepted by his friends and family as his wife. He would be laughed at and possibly even shunned. I admit that I have thought what it would be like to be with him; he is so handsome, so tall, so manly! I know that it will never be. That is too bad after how you described it."

She soon went back to her own room, where her dreams were very warm and involved being kissed and fondled by a man who was tall, dark, and handsome.

Several days later saw the arrival of their cousin, Mr. Collins, who was punctual to the time that he had said that he would arrive. He was received with great politeness by the whole family. Mr. Bennet, indeed, said little; but the ladies were ready enough to talk, and Mr. Collins seemed neither in need of encouragement, nor inclined to be silent himself. He was a tall, heavy-looking young man of about five and twenty. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal. He had not been long seated before he complimented Mr. Bennet on having so fine a family of daughters, and Mrs. Bennet on joining the family. He said that he had heard much of their beauty, but that, in this instance, fame had fallen short of the truth; and added, that he did not doubt seeing them all in due time well disposed of in marriage. This gallantry was not much to the taste of most of his hearers. All the Bennet ladies wondered if he hoped to find a wife here, and, from their first impressions of him, most of them were not excited by this prospect. Only Mary thought that to be the wife of a clergyman would be a good situation, even if the clergyman himself were not the most charming gentleman that she had ever met.

As soon as he was settled in the guest room, he came down and asked to speak to Mr. Bennet, who had retreated to the library as he was wont to do. Mr. Bennet was not displeased to be able to speak to him so soon as he wanted to see if his cousin might be as ridiculous as his letter had suggested. Mr. Bennet was not disappointed as he lived to enjoy the follies of others.

Using many excess words, Collins told Mr. Bennet how his esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, had told him that he should make an effort to heal the breach that existed between the two branches of the family. He also said that she had told him that he should marry to be a good example to his flock, and that he should look to one of his cousins for a prospective bride, as this would ease their transition to his ownership when Mr. Bennet died. He said, "From the comely appearance of all of your daughters, I am sure that any one of the five would do quite nicely and that the one that I decide on will be very pleased to receive such an honourable offer. I am sure that they will not receive many offers at all, so mine will be very welcome." That he had said the opposite to the ladies did not occur to him, but it did to Mr. Bennet. He was not pleased to have his daughters disparaged by anyone.

Collins was about to continue in this vein for much longer, but Mr. Bennet stopped him before he could go on. He was certainly affronted by this slight on their chances in life. "Collins, there are several considerations that you should be aware of. First of all, my wife is with child. If it is a boy, he will inherit Longbourn and you will fall in line after him.

"Second, my oldest daughter, Jane, is betrothed and will soon marry. My second daughter, Elizabeth, is definitely not suitable to be the wife of a parson. She is far too opinionated to be a dutiful wife and is not much interested in following a religious life. My youngest two daughters are too young to be considered ready for marriage. That leaves only my middle daughter, Mary. She does have a religious turn of mind, but I will definitely never force her into marriage. If you manage to woo her and she accepts your suit, then I will give you my consent and blessing.

"So, you see that my five comely daughters are down to only one possible choice for you."

Collins was disappointed to learn about the two oldest daughters as he had immediately decided that they were the most attractive and desirable of the five. He had quickly dismissed thinking about the other three, but realized he would have to consider only Miss Mary as a possible wife. With the news that the new Mrs. Bennet was with child, he knew that his expectations would change drastically if she bore a son. Even if this child was a daughter, he knew that she was young enough to have more children. To say that he was disappointed with the likely loss of Longbourn would be an understatement. This also lessened his interest in any of the Bennet ladies, but he thought that he would consider Miss Mary before he gave up on them completely.

With his first wife, Mr. Bennet had not been in the habit of telling her very much of what his thoughts were as he had a dim view of her intelligence. However, he had learned that Charlotte was much different and that her advice and assistance were welcomed. Therefore, he told her about his talk with Bingley and that he suspected that he had not been told the full details of their behaviour that necessitated a quick wedding. Charlotte said that she would try to find out if they had misbehaved.

He then told her about his talk with Collins and how little he thought of his intelligence and sensibility. He admitted that he had told him that, of his five daughters, only Mary should be considered as a possible wife for him, and that he would never force her to marry anyone that she did not sincerely want. Charlotte quickly agreed with his decision and said that she would ask Mary what she thought of the parson. They both thought that Mary was much more intelligent than Collins, so she should be able to mold him as she wanted if they did happen to marry. Charlotte decided that she would make sure that Mary was seated beside Collins at dinner and at every other meal.

The next morning, Collins insisted on joining Mr. Bennet in his library, ostensibly to read some of his books, but really, to brag about his position in Kent, his parsonage, and his esteemed patroness. When Mr. Bennet heard that the ladies were planning to walk into Meryton, he insisted that Collins accompany them. When Mary said that she was not interested in joining them, Charlotte took her aside and suggested that she accompany them so she could learn more about Collins. She had already mentioned to Mary that her father had told him that he should consider only Mary as a potential wife, and that he would never force her to marry. While Mary was not averse to Collins on first acquaintance, she said that she would have to get to know him better before she decided if she would accept him as a husband.

When the party reached Meryton, the youngest girls went to check for any new ribbons or lace in the shop windows. They also watched for any officers of the militia regiment that had recently arrived in town for the winter. They did see an officer that they had met, Mr. Denny, who was accompanied by a handsome stranger. Denny went to them and introduced his friend as Mr. Wickham, who had accepted a commission in the regiment.

While they were talking to the officers, Darcy and Bingley rode up as they were just returning from town. Bingley immediately dismounted and went to his intended, greeting her very warmly after being apart for several days. They were so immersed with each other that they ignored everything and everyone else. Elizabeth was watching Darcy carefully and was surprised to see his reaction when he noticed the stranger.

Darcy said, with gritted teeth, "Wickham! What are you doing here? How dare you show your face in this town! I thought I had seen the last of your miserable hide. How dare you even speak to honourable and decent ladies?"

He turned to the officer who was in uniform, "Lieutenant, why is this piece of scum with you? Do you realize how evil he is? Do you not realize how his disrepute will rub off on you as well? Well! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Everyone was shocked at Darcy's words. Lieutenant Denny finally found his voice. "Mr. Wickham has just joined the militia regiment that is stationed here for the winter."

Darcy cut him off. "Who is your regimental commander? Take me to him at once. If you do not give me your full co-operation at once, I will use my extensive power with the generals in London to have you cashiered. Do you understand?"

Denny was not sure who this gentleman was, who was very well-dressed and appeared to be well connected, or what power he had in the army. However, he did not want to risk finding out by opposing him. "Our regimental commander is Colonel Forster. If you want to speak to him, I will take you to him. Please follow me." He went off towards the militia camp and Darcy followed him.

The ladies were astounded at what they had just seen. They watched Denny and Darcy walk away, and then turned to Wickham. Charlotte was the first to speak. "Mr. Wickham, we do not know you, but we do know that Mr. Darcy is a respected gentleman. If you will excuse us, we will leave you." She turned away from him and herded the Bennet ladies towards the shops that they had intended to visit. Bingley, who had stood open-mouthed at his friend's words, gave his arm to Jane and they talked quietly of what they had seen. Neither understood the reasons for Darcy's behaviour, but Bingley was strongly urging Jane to believe Darcy as he knew him to be a complete gentleman.

Collins stood there, mouth agape at what he had just heard and seen. He turned to Wickham and said, "Mr. Wickham, I do not know you, but, as a man of God, I can only hope that if you have sinned in the past, that you will see the error of you ways and reform. Now, if you will excuse me, I will join the ladies."

Wickham stood in the street, uncertain of what to do. He knew that Darcy could blacken his name with many of his past transgressions. However, he was extremely short of funds and had been relying of his friend Denny to pay for his travel, food, and lodging. He had hoped that he would find it easy to receive credit from the local shopkeepers, but now he doubted that this would be possible if his new Colonel believed even half of what Darcy would lay at his feet. He also wondered about the ladies he had just met as the two youngest had given him inviting looks. He thought that it would be unlikely that those tempting ladies would be allowed to meet him again. He realized that he had no good options but to return to the militia camp to learn what the Colonel had decided to do.

The ladies had reached the shops and went in to see if any new goods had been received since their last visit. Mary was not interested in such fripperies, so she remained outside. When Collins saw that she was not going in, he stopped with her and they talked about what they had seen in the street. Neither understood the confrontation, but, as they both respected Darcy, they expected that Wickham was not someone they wanted to associate with. Bingley and Jane remained outside the shop, talking quietly, until Bingley remounted his horse to ride to Netherfield. Then Jane went inside the shop to join her sisters.

When the ladies came out of the shop, they decided they would go visit Mrs. Philips, the girls' aunt. While there, the main topic of discussion was the confrontation that they had witnessed. As Mrs. Philips was a famous gossip, word of Wickham's assumed misbehaviour was soon spread throughout the village.


	8. Chapter 8

When Denny and Darcy reached the militia camp, Denny went to find his Colonel. When he told him what had occurred in the street of Meryton and that Darcy was waiting to speak to him, he told Denny to bring Darcy in. Darcy went in and introduced himself, stressing his relationship to the Earl of Matlock and his son, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. It happened that Colonel Forster knew Richard, so he immediately paid more attention to everything that Darcy said. Darcy told him about meeting Wickham and his history with him, not omitting any of his sordid habits. Colonel Forster knew that the militia had not been received well in some parts of the country because of problems the officers and men had caused among the local businesses and residents, especially young women. He also knew that the army headquarters looked on these problems very seriously as they depended on the goodwill of the local citizenry for recruits and supply. Colonel Forster had not known about Wickham as he was just joining his regiment. He had been glad to hear of a new officer recruit as he was short in this area. He was worried that Wickham's misdeeds in Meryton might bring the wrath of the headquarters generals on his head if any of the local residents complained to London.

When Darcy had finished telling the Colonel about Wickham's propensities and history, the Colonel said, "Thank you, Mr. Darcy, for warning me about my new lieutenant. I accept the veracity of what you have told me and definitely cannot allow him to cause problems in this area. I will confine him to base and, if I may, I will send a message to your cousin about Wickham's being here. I will ask for his assistance to remove him from my regiment as soon as orders can be drawn up. We do not want to inflict him on any other militia regiment anywhere in the country, so I will suggest that he be transferred to a front-line regiment in Spain. He has already committed himself to the militia, so he will have no chance of refusing.

"Lieutenant Denny! As soon as Wickham shows up, he is confined to base until further notice. You are personally responsible to make sure he does not leave until I receive further orders about him. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"Dismissed."

Darcy left the militia camp well satisfied that he had done what he could to protect the local residents from this despicable person. He rode off to Netherfield where he knew he would meet a barrage of questions. He was not disappointed as Bingley had been telling his sisters about Darcy's confrontation of Wickham. Darcy gave them only a few of the details of Wickham's history, but that was enough to convince them of the unworthiness of this person.

Bingley had also asked his sister what she had done to begin the organization of the ball that he had requested. While his sisters had talked about simply ignoring his request, they finally decided that their brother was committed to marrying Miss Bennet and would not be able to get out of it. The fact that he truly wanted to marry her did not enter into their considerations. As Bingley controlled all of the family finances, they worried that they did not dare to upset him too much or he might restrict their spending. They told him all that they had done and he was satisfied that the plans were well in hand. The main tasks remaining were to prepare the guest list, write up the invitations, and distribute them. Bingley decided that he would need to consult with the Bennets to draw up the guest list. He sent a note to Longbourn asking that they begin to consider who should be invited, and said that he would go to Longbourn in the morning to consult with them about it.

When the ladies and Collins returned to Longbourn, Lizzy asked Charlotte to join her when she spoke to Mr. Bennet. They told him what they had seen and heard in Meryton. All three believed that Darcy must have known Wickham's true character, so the ladies urged Mr. Bennet to try to find out more from Darcy. Mr. Bennet agreed as he knew that his youngest daughters might be susceptible to a handsome officer in a red coat and may not believe that an attractive visage might cloak an ugly interior.

When Darcy and Bingley came to visit that afternoon, Bingley quickly joined Jane and Charlotte told Mr. Darcy that Mr. Bennet would like to speak with him about Wickham. Darcy went in to the library and was with Mr. Bennet for close to an hour. He told Bennet about some of Wickham's past history, especially his not paying trusting shopkeepers, gambling debts, and despoiling innocent young maidens. Mr. Bennet easily agreed that he would consult with Mrs. Bennet on how to protect his daughters from Wickham and that he would personally talk to the shopkeepers about the danger of extending credit to Wickham. They decided not to do anything about possible gambling debts, thinking that people foolish enough to gamble with him would have to look out for themselves. In the back of their minds they knew that gamblers tended to look very unfavourably on anyone who did not honour their obligations, so they would look after their own.

When Darcy came out, Lizzy wanted to know more about Wickham, so she invited him to walk in the garden. Jane and Bingley said they would also like to walk outside, and Collins invited Mary to join them as well. They went out and the three couples soon separated enough that they could each talk privately. Lizzy said to Darcy, "Mr. Darcy, I am very curious to know more about Mr. Wickham and what he has done to earn your enmity. I know you to be a gentleman and I do not doubt your word, but I would like to hear more about what he has done in the past. It may help me protect my sisters if he remains here."

Darcy told her what he had told her father and Lizzy was horrified that any person could have committed so many evil deeds. As ladies, she and her sisters had led very sheltered lives and had never been exposed to such despicable characters. She did not doubt any of Darcy's statements, and thanked him for letting her know so she could help protect her youngest sisters from being taken in by Wickham.

That evening, as the ladies were preparing for bed, Charlotte went in to Mary, "Mary, I see that Mr. Collins has been with you quite a lot. Please tell me, what do you think of him? You know that one of the main reasons he came here was to look for a wife, and he appears to be favouring you. Do you believe you could be happy with him if he asked for your hand?"

Mary was embarrassed to talk about such personal items, but she was willing to talk. "Charlotte, I am not sure what to think. I know that my sisters all consider him to be ridiculous, but I do not find him to be so bad. Yes, he is very solemn and excessively polite, but those are not manners that warrant a condemnation. He certainly has great esteem for his patroness, but surely such a great lady deserves his respect? After all, he depends on her for his living. I know that my prospects for marriage are not nearly as good as my sisters', so I would have to consider any proposal that I might receive very carefully. I would love to have my own establishment where I can be the best wife that I could be. His situation in Hunsford parish appears to be quite comfortable. His descriptions of his parsonage are also quite appealing. I also believe that a clergyman would be the best kind of husband for me as I would be able to share in his clerical duties and may be able to guide him if he needed any assistance with his parishioners. With time, I believe that I would be able to help him overcome some of his most wearisome traits, so he would improve with some gentle guidance. My biggest concern would be how to help him reduce his dependence on the words of his patroness, but, with time, I should be able to help him with that as well.

"Charlotte, I do not know if he has any intention of offering for me, but if he does, I believe that I will respond favourably to him. If this does happen, will you support me?"

Charlotte was impressed by the clarity of Mary's thoughts about Collins. She knew that Mary was the least likely of the five to receive any offer, even though she had improved over the past months. She liked Mary, and decided that she would do anything that might lead to her happiness. She hugged Mary and said, "Yes, Mary, I will do whatever I can to support you. If he offers for you and you accept him, I will speak to your father in your favour. I agree with all of your thinking and am very impressed by it. I believe that you could be happy with Mr. Collins. I hope he does offer for you."

After leaving Mary, Charlotte went to find her husband, who was still in his library. "Thomas, I just spoke to Mary about Mr. Collins. I asked her what she thought of him and was very impressed by her thinking. She knows that she is the least likely of her sisters to receive any offers of marriage, so she will consider any that she receives very carefully. She seems to understand what he is like, but she hopes that she will be able to improve him with time. She said that she would likely react favourably to him if he makes her an offer. I told her that if that would make her happy, I will support her. I hope that you will support her as well."

"Charlotte, you know that I will do anything to help my girls find happiness; so, if that is what she wants, I will also support her. Do you think Collins is thinking of her that way?"

"He is certainly with her all the time, so, yes, I believe so."

"Charlotte, I am so glad that you accepted my offer. You are such a good influence on my daughters. Now, how are you feeling? Is the baby affecting your health very much?"  
"Not too much. I am certainly increasing in size, but I am over the morning sickness at last."

"Would you like me to visit you tonight?"

"I think that would be quite nice."

The next morning, Charlotte found a moment to speak to Collins privately. "Mr. Collins, I hope you are enjoying your visit to us. I know that one of the reasons that you came here was to see if any of the ladies might be suitable to be your wife. I have seen that you have been spending a lot of time with Miss Mary, so I suspect that you very wisely understood that she is the most likely to be a very valued wife of a clergyman.

"Have you come to any decision regarding your future, and might this include one of my stepdaughters?"

"Since you were so kind to tell me about the others, I have been considering Miss Mary as to whether she might make a good wife for me and if she would be acceptable to my esteemed patroness. Of all the five, she certainly seems to be the best suited to be the wife of a parson as she knows a lot about religious dogma and sermonizing. In these areas she might be helpful to me, if I ever need help in those areas. She also has a good attitude about helping others, which is important for my parishioners. I believe that Lady Catherine would approve of her. While I have not yet made up my mind, I believe that she would make a good wife for me. I would like to take a few more days before I decide if I will ask her, but it looks likely that I will."

"Mr. Collins, you are being very wise in this."


	9. Chapter 9

The day of the Netherfield ball finally arrived, which meant that Longbourn was in turmoil with all the ladies deciding on which dress to wear and what accessories would best complement their outfits. Rather than this occasion being marked by bickering over who would wear what as would have happened in the past, Charlotte's gentle influence resulted in an attitude of friendly assistance to each other. Of course, Jane was the center of attention as the ball was being held to celebrate her betrothal. Her sisters spent a lot of time on her hair and offering whatever they thought might help her look her best. Even Mr. Bennet was going, but he had been dressed for some time and spent the final frenzied hours hiding in his library. While Elizabeth tried not to appear to be too excited, she was very agitated, wondering if Darcy would ask her to dance. While she knew that the likelihood of his ever offering for her was very small, she had begun to realize the depth of her feelings for him. She was embarrassed to admit to herself how greatly she admired his appearance and form. When she thought of dancing with him, her thoughts extended to wondering how it would feel to be in his arms. She also felt that they were suited for each other intellectually and that they would make a great couple. However, she was not sure what he felt about her.

When the Bennets entered Netherfield, Mr. Bingley immediately pulled Jane aside to stand in the welcoming line with him. Elizabeth looked for Darcy, but he was not to be seen. The Bennets went in to the ballroom and she saw him standing by himself. He appeared to be watching the new guests as they came in and he smiled when he saw her and went up to greet the Bennets. He surprised Elizabeth when he asked her for the important first set of dances. She was very pleased to accept as this is what she had hoped he would do.

The music started and the partners lined up, with Bingley and Jane at the head of the line. Even Mr. Bennet asked Charlotte to dance, which she accepted reluctantly as she worried that her size was beginning to increase, even though it was not too noticeable yet. Every Bennet danced that first dance, although Charlotte had warned the two youngest that they had to behave as ladies or they would be taken home.

Darcy began his dance with Elizabeth as silent as he usually was, but she soon engaged him in light conversation. Darcy was very conflicted. He knew how much he was attracted to Elizabeth, but he knew that he could never think seriously about her as she would not be accepted by his friends and family because of her relatively low social status. Nevertheless, he could not stop admiring her sparkling eyes and quick wit. This internal conflict made him virtually tongue-tied, but he could not stay away from her. While they were dancing, he kept watching Bingley and Jane. While he was not happy that Bingley had compromised Miss Bennet, he could not help but feel envious as he knew that he would love to be able to spend the night with his current dance partner. He had never been so attracted to any woman before. After that first set, he left her with her family, but not before asking her for the supper set as well. This pleased Lizzy very much as she hoped that it indicated his interest in her.

When Lizzy was back with Charlotte, she said, "I simply cannot understand Mr. Darcy. He asked me for the first set, but then I almost had to force him to talk to me. He looks at me so strangely all the time. When we finished, you saw how he seemed to want to get away from me as soon as possible, but then he asked me for the supper dance. What is wrong with that man?"

Charlotte was very sympathetic, "Lizzy, do you think it is possible that he is very attracted to you, but then he believes that he cannot think seriously about you because your social position is so much beneath his own? If this is what his problem is, then I can understand his internal conflict. He wants you, but feels that he cannot offer for you.

"Lizzy, be careful. If, in fact, he wants you so badly, he may lose his head and either make you an inappropriate offer or try to take advantage of you. If you are as attracted to him as I believe, you may not be able to refuse him anything. If such a situation occurs, he may not be the kind of gentleman that Mr. Bingley is and do the right thing."

These frank words make Lizzy think very carefully about what she felt about Darcy. She had to admit that she found him to be very attractive and wondered what it would be like to be taken as his wife. From what Jane said, it was something that she wanted to experience very much. This feeling made her understand Charlotte's warning to her. While part of her wanted more, much more, with him, she knew that she had to be very careful not to be too susceptible to his advances that might end up with her total ruin and disgrace.

All of the Bennets enjoyed the ball very much and the ladies danced almost every set. The only uncomfortable moments for each of them occurred when Collins insisted he wanted to dance with each of his cousins. He was so clumsy and awkward that all of their toes suffered, in addition to the damage to their pride. Each of the girls was a very good dancer, but their lumbering partner made them look bad on the dance floor. Fortunately, the only one he asked to dance twice was Mary, but she seemed the least upset by him.

Their ride home and the time getting ready for bed were spent in rehashing the events and triumphs of the evening. Both Mr. Bennet and Charlotte were pleased with the ladylike behaviour that had been exhibited by the two youngest girls and they made sure to compliment them for their exemplary conduct. The two oldest girls were the most pleased with the ball; Jane as she was almost always with her intended, and Elizabeth as her hopes had been achieved as Darcy had danced with her, twice. She realized that she had fallen hopelessly in love with him.

The very next day, Collins asked for a private interview with Mary, which Charlotte quickly arranged. He began to speak to Mary in his usual solemn manner. "Almost as soon as I entered the house I singled you out as the companion of my future life. But before I am run away with by my feelings on this subject, perhaps it will be advisable for me to state my reasons for marrying—and moreover for coming into Hertfordshire with the design of selecting a wife, as I certainly did.

"My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish. Secondly, that I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness; and thirdly—which perhaps I ought to have mentioned earlier, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness. Twice has she condescended to give me her opinion (unasked too!) on this subject; and it was but the very Saturday night before I left Hunsford—between our pools at quadrille, while Mrs. Jenkinson was arranging Miss de Bourgh's foot-stool, that she said, 'Mr. Collins, you must marry. A clergyman like you must marry. Choose properly, choose a gentlewoman for _my_ sake; and for your _own_, let her be an active, useful sort of person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way. This is my advice. Find such a woman as soon as you can, bring her to Hunsford, and I will visit her.' Allow me, by the way, to observe, my fair cousin, that I do not reckon the notice and kindness of Lady Catherine de Bourgh as among the least of the advantages in my power to offer. You will find her manners beyond any thing I can describe; and your ecclesiastical knowledge I think must be acceptable to her, especially when tempered with the silence and respect which her rank will inevitably excite.

"Thus much for my general intention in favour of matrimony; it remains to be told why my views were directed to Longbourn instead of my own neighbourhood, where I assure you, there are many amiable young women. But the fact is, that being, as I am, to inherit this estate after the death of your honoured father (who, however, may live many years longer) if he has no sons of his own, I could not satisfy myself without resolving to choose a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might be as little as possible, when the melancholy event takes place—which, however, as I have already said, may not be for several years. This has been my motive, my fair cousin, and I flatter myself it will not sink me in your esteem. And now nothing remains for me but to assure you in the most animated language of the violence of my affection. To fortune I am perfectly indifferent, and shall make no demand of that nature on your father, since I am well aware that it could not be complied with; and that one thousand pounds in the 4 per cents, which will not be yours till after your mother's decease, is all that you may ever be entitled to. On that head, therefore, I shall be uniformly silent; and you may assure yourself that no ungenerous reproach shall ever pass my lips when we are married."

While Mary was hopeful that she would receive an offer from her cousin, she was both impressed and appalled at his words. She felt the honour of actually receiving an offer of marriage when she had worried that she might never receive any, but his words made her realize the heavy task she faced in trying to reform him to become the husband of her dreams. That he would look for a wife only after being told by his patroness that that is what he should do, indicated to her that it would be difficult, and would take some time, before his primary allegiance was transferred from his patroness to his wife. However, she felt that she was up to the task that lay before her, so she accepted his offer.

Collins immediately sought the company of Mr. Bennet to solicit his approval and blessing, which was quickly given as he had already discussed this with Charlotte. Mr. Bennet was actually quite pleased with both Charlotte and Mary; Charlotte for steering Collins to the daughter most likely to accept his proposal, and Mary for making an informed decision about the suitability of Collins as husband material.

Of course, Mary's sisters all wholeheartedly congratulated her, even though most of them had reservations. Lydia expressed her doubts to Kitty, "I could never accept a man who is such a poor dancer as Mr. Collins. I guess it is a good thing that Mary is not as interested in dancing as we are! I wonder if Jane accepted Mr. Bingley only because he is such a good dancer. However, that would not explain why they are getting married in such a rush. Do you think they did something inappropriate while she was at Netherfield? It that is the reason, I wonder what she did? Do you think we should just ask her? I would love to hear all the details."

Kitty replied, "I would love to find out as well, but I believe we should not ask her. She would be so embarrassed. I think we should just be happy that she found a husband, no matter what she had to do to catch him. I wonder what it was like?"

Elizabeth spoke to Charlotte, "I hope Mary knows what she is doing. If she expects to be able to change him into a good husband, she will have a difficult process that will take some time. I can only hope that she succeeds before she is completely frustrated with him."

Mr. Bennet had misgivings on these first two betrothals; Jane as he was still worried that she had acted completely out of character for her and had been compromised by Bingley; Mary as he hoped she would not be disappointed in her efforts to reform her husband. His next concern was for his favourite, Lizzy. He knew that her intelligence would require a very special gentleman and that they were rare in this remote area of Hertfordshire. He had noticed the attention that Darcy had given her, but he doubted that he would ever consider someone from so far outside his exalted social class. He hoped that Lizzy had not given her heart to him as he was sure she was bound to be disappointed. At least Bingley had done the honourable thing by offering for Jane. He was not so sure that Darcy would do that.

Collins had to return to his duties at Hunsford, but Mr. Bennet assured him that the banns would be read on time and the church would be booked for early January, when they had decided their marriage would be celebrated.

Their attention was quickly diverted to the wedding of Jane and Bingley as it was coming up very quickly. The plans were finalized and everything was ready for the big event. The day of the wedding arrived, and the ladies all helped Jane dress. Her belongings were packed, ready to be transferred to Netherfield, except for the items needed for their wedding trip that would last about a week to some undisclosed location. When they arrived at the church, Mr. Bennet very proudly walked Jane down the aisle, preceded by Elizabeth. She had eyes only for Darcy, who was waiting with Bingley. At the end of the ceremony, she proudly took Darcy's arm to leave the church. She did not notice the daggers coming from the eyes of Miss Bingley.

After the wedding breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Bingley left and the crowd slowly dispersed from Longbourn. Lizzy was a bit surprised to see that Darcy's carriage was waiting for him to leave Longbourn. He had not told her that he was departing immediately for town as he did not want to remain at Netherfield alone with Bingley's sisters. The sisters left the next morning for town as well, so the mood at Longbourn was very quiet. Lizzy felt devastated not to have heard a word from Darcy about his departure.

Collins returned for a few days to further his relationship with Mary, but left again before Christmas. The only interesting topic of conversation he had on this visit was his assurance, using many excess words, that his esteemed patroness was eager to meet the lady who was his choice of bride.


	10. Chapter 10

Just before Christmas, the Gardiners arrived with their four young children, as was their established custom. They made a welcome diversion as the children were excited both about Christmas and to be with their cousins. Mrs. Gardiner noticed that Lizzy was not her usual cheerful self and found a moment to speak to Charlotte about her favourite niece.

Charlotte knew what Lizzy's problem was. "Poor Lizzy! I fear that she lost her heart to Mr. Darcy, who had been here for some weeks visiting his friend Bingley. I can appreciate her attraction to him as he is very handsome and intelligent. A complete gentleman. I believe that they would make an excellent couple who would suit each other very well. I thought that he had been paying attention to her, but he left immediately after Jane's wedding with no word to Lizzy at all. I am afraid that she is heart-broken about him."

"Darcy? Do you know if he is from Derbyshire? Just five miles from the village of Lambton where I grew up was a very fine estate called Pemberley that was owned by the Darcy family. I remember the family, although I never met them and was never in the house. The house was exceptionally large and well-appointed. They had very extensive woods and farmlands; a very wealthy estate that was well run by the family."

"That must be the same family as he was from Derbyshire and I remember someone mentioning that his estate was called Pemberley."

"I can understand his reluctance to admit any feelings for Lizzy as the Darcys were of the highest social class. They are closely related to the Earl of Matlock. Is there anything we can do for her?"

"I am not sure what we might do. I think she just needs time to get over him. Jane and Mr. Bingley will be returning very soon, so that might divert her; although she might be saddened by Jane's happiness when she cannot have her own."

"Do you think we should invite her to come to London after Christmas to stay with us for a while? Perhaps some entertainments might distract her."

"It might, but I believe we should hold off on that to see how she feels after being with Jane for a while."  
"That might be a good idea, but do not hesitate to suggest that she come to us as we enjoy having her and the children love her."

Jane and her new husband did return to Netherfield just before Christmas and were soon at Longbourn. For some time, Jane's attention was completely monopolized by her family and the children. Finally, she and Lizzy found a chance to talk. "So, Jane, tell me. How was your honeymoon? Did it live up to your expectations?"

"Oh, Lizzy, I cannot begin to describe how wonderful it was!" Jane blushed as she said, "We spent most of our time in bed! I am the happiest woman in England! Charles is so gentle and loving. I could not have asked for a better husband. I can only hope you will be as lucky as I am."

"Too bad Mr. Bingley does not have a brother for me!"

"Lizzy, your time will come. What about Mr. Darcy? Have you heard from him?"

"Not a word. He left right from the wedding breakfast and we have not heard anything about him. He did not even mention that he was leaving so suddenly. I guess he is just not interested in me. Too bad as he is quite handsome!"

"Lizzy, I think you are not telling me everything! Is there no hope there?"

"I do not think so. But enough about me. What are your plans now?'

"We will settle in Netherfield, at least for the immediate future. I admit that I was not disappointed to see that his sisters are back in town and not here. Now I can arrange our house the way I want without anyone else's input. My tastes are quite different from his sisters."

"Jane! That is as close as I have ever heard you say anything negative about anyone; although I understand about Miss Bingley. I believe that she is used to running things her way without any reference to anyone else.

"Now we can get ready for Christmas; then there will be Mary's wedding. Will you and Mr. Bingley come over for Christmas?"

"Definitely. It will be fun with our nieces and nephews. Christmas is for children!" With these words, they went to find the rest of the family.

Christmas was a lot of fun with the children, with many gifts and a great Christmas dinner highlighted by a nice fat goose. Charlotte was proving to be just as good a hostess as her predecessor, so everyone was well satisfied. Boxing Day was celebrated in the usual way, with gifts given to all the staff and tenants. The Gardiners had to leave right after as Mr. Gardiner's business required that he could not be away for too long in this busy season. They regretted that they could not stay for Mary's wedding. Before they left, Aunt Gardiner asked Lizzy to come to stay with them for some time, but she was not sure what her plans were as she wanted to be with Jane to help her set up her very first household.

Collins returned to Longbourn just a couple of days before their ceremony. Their marriage did not attract as many guests as Jane's as she was not as well-liked as her sisters and Collins was not as popular as Bingley. Immediately after the wedding breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Collins left for his parish of Hunsford. Longbourn now seemed to be very quiet with two of the five sisters gone to their husbands. However, before Mary left, she begged Lizzy to come to visit her after she had time to settle into their parsonage. She said that Easter would be a good time to come as Mr. Collins would be very busy with special services.

Charlotte urged her to go, mainly as Lizzy had never been in Kent and she thought that a change of scenery would be good for her. Charlotte worried that Lizzy was still disheartened at the loss of Mr. Darcy's company. Charlotte also wrote to the Gardiners to suggest that they invite Lizzy to come to them on her way to Kent and on her way back to Hertfordshire as London was conveniently on the route between the two counties. With her father, Charlotte, and Jane all encouraging her to go on this trip, she acquiesced. In any case, even though she loved Jane very much, her continued descriptions of the raptures she was experiencing with her husband were wearing on Lizzy. Thus she arrived at the Gardiners' house on Gracechurch Street in February for a three-week visit. Here, she was quickly immersed in the daily routine that centered on their four young children, who always seemed to be energetic and in need of attention.

The Gardiners made an effort to entertain their favourite niece and planned to go to several plays and performances, in addition to visits with some of their friends. She also took her shopping as she knew that new clothes were always of interest to young ladies. On one of their first shopping trips, Lizzy wanted to look for some new music that she could play on the piano. They went into a shop that carried sheet music and Lizzy was soon looking through the music that was for sale.

There were several other customers in the shop. Suddenly they heard a lady's voice saying, "Miss Darcy, here are some pieces that you might want to consider." Both Lizzy and her aunt turned to the speaker and saw an older lady talking to a very well-dressed young lady.

Mrs. Gardiner could not help but address the young lady. "Please excuse me for addressing you as I know that we have not been introduced, but are you Miss Darcy from Pemberley? The reason that I ask is that I grew up in Lambton and spent many happy hours exploring the wonderful park of the estate."

Both ladies were surprised to hear this, but they noticed that the speaker and the young lady with her were very well-dressed and appeared to be gentle folk. The older lady responded, "Yes, Pemberley is Miss Darcy's brother's estate. To whom are we speaking?"

"Forgive me! I am Mrs. Madeline Gardiner and this is my niece, Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

The young lady spoke up immediately, "Miss Bennet? From Hertfordshire? I so wanted to meet you as I have heard so much about you. Forgive me! I am Miss Georgiana Darcy and this is my companion, Mrs. Annesley."

Lizzy was astonished to hear this. "I do not understand. Where have you heard of me?"

Georgiana blushed bright red, "My brother. He several times said how much he enjoyed his time with Mr. Bingley and meeting you."

"He did? Really? He never gave me any indication that he enjoyed my company. He left Hertfordshire without a word to anyone."

"Oh, Fitzwilliam! Please forgive him for acting so out of character. I know that he is not always comfortable in company that he does not know, but he is so different when he is with just me or people that he knows well. I am surprised he did not warn you of his departure as I know how much he enjoyed your company."

Lizzy thought about this revelation for a moment, then said, "I suppose I should have expected something like that as I saw how the mothers with unmarried daughters were eager to be introduced to him when they heard how fine his estate was. Is he always the object of pursuit here in town?"

"I believe so as he is often in a bad mood when he comes back from most social events. He has a hunted look about him. But, forgive me, Miss Bennet, did you find any interesting music? My brother has said how much he enjoyed your playing and singing. I would love to hear you play some time."

"He said that? He never said anything like that to me. I am surprised as he has heard me only once or twice. Do you play, Miss Darcy? Oh, wait! I remember Miss Bingley saying how well you play. I would also like to hear you play as well."

"How long are you in town?"

"Just for a couple of weeks, then I am going to visit my sister in Kent. She recently married the parson at a parish called Hunsford."

"Hunsford! My Aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh is the patroness of that parish."

"I have heard my new brother-in-law, Mr. Collins speak very deferentially of her. I am looking forward to meeting her. I believe she will be quite memorable."

"Memorable! I guess that is one way to describe her. I told my brother that I would not go back there ever again as she is so critical of everything that I do and say. No matter what I do, she finds fault with it. Now he goes with our cousin every year to help her with running the estate." Georgiana turned to her companion and spoke quietly to her. She received a nod of approval. "Could I ask that you come to tea? Here is my card. Please just let me know when you might be able to come. I will be very glad to see you again. Now I am afraid that we have to go. It was very nice to meet you both."

Miss Darcy and Mrs. Annesley left the shop and Lizzy turned to her aunt. "That was certainly a surprise! I cannot believe that her brother talked about me. He seemed so distant in Meryton."

"Are you surprised? Lizzy, do you not realize what this means? Mr. Darcy obviously thinks a lot of you, even if you did not see it. We will have to go to tea with her very soon." Even though Mrs. Gardiner did not say anything, she knew that she would do whatever she could to bring them together again. She wanted only to see her niece happy.

When Georgiana returned to Darcy House, she went to find her brother. "Fitzwilliam! What an interesting afternoon I just had. You will never believe what happened."

"What is it, my dear? What happened?"

"We were in a shop looking at music. When Mrs. Annesley said my name, a lady overheard us and asked if I were from Pemberley! It happens that she grew up in Lambton and knew about our family. She was with a young lady and they were very well dressed and appeared to be quite genteel, so we introduced ourselves. The young lady is Miss Elizabeth Bennet! The lady was her aunt. Miss Bennet is here for a week or two and then is going to Hunsford to visit her sister who just married Aunt Catherine's parson. I hope you do not mind but I invited them to come for tea, after I asked Mrs. Annesley if I might. You said such nice things about her that I want to get to know her."

"Did I really say that much about her?"

"Yes, you did, and you have never talked about any other lady, so I thought that was very unusual. I agree with what you said as Miss Bennet appears to be an interesting person. Do you want to greet her when they come?"

Darcy was shocked that the lady he had been trying, without success, to forget had, by chance, met his sister here in town. He knew that he had been very attracted to her when he was in Hertfordshire, and he had been trying for the past two months to get over her. He had never met a lady who fascinated him as much as she did, but the differences in their social positions made any connection with her out of the question. However, he had not gotten over her and he knew that just seeing her would rekindle all of his feelings that he had been trying to ignore. Did he dare see her again? He also knew that his sister needed friends close to her own age, and Elizabeth would be perfect for her to help her overcome her shyness and mortification she still felt about her lapse in judgment with Wickham.

He decided to prevaricate, "If I am home, I will say hello to them. I have never met her aunt, but I did meet all of her sisters, her father, and her step-mother in Hertfordshire. You know that her oldest sister married my friend Bingley and they are living at his leased estate there? The new Mrs. Bingley is one of the most attractive ladies I have ever met, and the nicest. She will make a great wife for Bingley as they are both so agreeable; I doubt they will ever have the slightest disagreement about anything.

"When do you expect the visitors to come?"

"We did not set any specific day, but I would expect that they would come soon as Miss Bennet is going to Kent fairly soon.

"Fitzwilliam, please tell me. Do you have feelings for Miss Bennet? I know this is a very personal question, but I want to see you happy. You have not been in a good mood since you came back from Hertfordshire. Did something happen between you two?"

"Georgie!" Darcy suddenly realized that his baby sister had become a young lady who was very aware of his moods and even his needs. He decided that he had to begin to treat her more as an adult than as a child. "Yes, it is a very personal question, but you deserve an answer. First of all, I am sorry if my mood has affected you as I should not allow my personal problems to affect you. Nothing happened between Miss Bennet and me, even though I found that I was very attracted to her. She is so different from any of the ladies I have ever met in town. She is intelligent, well read, witty, and is aware of so much that is happening, even outside her own sphere. She is also very attractive in some way that affects me at some primal level. I admit that she affected me as no lady has ever done before. I had begun to believe that she would make an ideal wife for me.

"However, I have to consider our future, especially yours. You will be coming out in a year or two, so you cannot be associated with anyone who might be detrimental to your future. Miss Bennet is certainly a lady as her father is a landed gentleman. As his estate is quite small and insignificant, their social class is far below ours. They also have no important contacts in town or anywhere else. Having them associating with us could damage your future prospects."

Georgiana just now appreciated how much her brother was willing to sacrifice for her. She went to sit on his knee, which she had not done for years. She leaned her head against his chest and he put his arms around her. "Fitzwilliam, I have several years before my future becomes important. I want to see you happy right now. Even if your connecting us with Miss Bennet is seen as detrimental to our standing, we will have years in which we can make sure she is accepted in town. Could we not count on the Matlocks to help us with that? I had always assumed that the Countess would help me when I come out. If we can get her to accept Miss Bennet, would she not be an important help for all of us?

"If you like Miss Bennet so much, do you know how she feels about you? Do you have a chance with her?"

"I am not sure. Now that I consider how I left Hertfordshire without a word to her, she may very well be upset with me. In any case, how could I get to see her?"

"Might I suggest that when they come to tea, you should greet them and be very nice to them? I will try to get to know them better and say nice things about you. You will have to be very nice to her, and apologize for your abrupt departure. What about Kent? Miss Bennet will be there soon. Could you rearrange your schedule to be there at the same time? The parsonage is not far from Rosings, so you could easily see her quite often. When she goes home, could you not go to see Mr. Bingley? I am sure you would often be in each other's company there.

"So you see, you will have several ways to be with her. It will be up to you to convince her that you like you and give her a chance to get to know you better. Could we invite them to dinner? Her aunt seemed like a very nice person."

"Slow down, Georgie! You are full of ideas. One step at a time. I hope that I am home when they come to tea, and I will greet them. If Miss Bennet reacts favourably, then we can decide on the next step. I am very glad that we spoke about this as it relieves my worry about you. I will make an effort to pursue Miss Bennet, and, with your assistance, what chance does she have?" They both chuckled at this.

Georgiana left her brother then, and went to find her companion. She told her, very briefly, about Darcy's interest in Miss Bennet and asked for her help in his pursuit of her.


	11. Chapter 11

Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner came to tea the next day and were very impressed with the magnificence of Darcy House. Georgiana led them to the music room and asked that tea be served there. Darcy had told his staff to let him know when they came, so he came out of his office to greet them. Elizabeth introduced her aunt to him and he said, "Miss Bennet, how nice to see you again, I am very sorry that I had to rush away from Hertfordshire immediately after Bingley's wedding, but I had some pressing business here in town. I have not heard from Bingley as he is a notoriously poor correspondent. Have you heard from your sister since they returned to Netherfield?"

Both Elizabeth and her aunt were surprised at the friendly tone of his greetings. "Yes, I have. They seem to be very happy together and Jane is busy arranging Netherfield the way she wants it. Of course, my step-mother is helping her to some extent."

"They are so lucky to have found their perfect partners in life. I believe they both will be very happy together.

"Mrs. Gardiner, I understand that you were raised in Lambton? Do you go back there often?"

"Yes, I was. Even though I have such fond memories of that village, we have been so busy in town with my husband's business and our young children, that we have not been able to travel as much as I would like."

"Might I have known your family? Do you still have any there?"

"My father had a shop there, but he sold it to move us to town. I have no family left there now. My father's name was Barrie. I knew of your family, of course, and spent many happy hours exploring the Pemberley woods. I remember your parents used to come into our shop once in a while. I even remember you as a young lad coming in with them. They always bought you some sweets, which I saw you sharing with some of the local children."

"Barrie? I vaguely remember that name as it was some years ago. We went into all of the shops in the village, and I remember getting sweets at several of them. I am sorry, but I do not remember you or your parents. That was before my sister was born."

Georgiana was pleased at her brother's conversation. Just then a maid brought in the tea trolley. "Fitzwilliam, will you join us for tea?"

He looked at Elizabeth and said, "If you do not mind, I would like that." She blushed a bit at his attention, and smiled shyly, even though she did not look at him.

Darcy continued to talk to Mrs. Gardiner about Derbyshire while the two young ladies spoke mainly to each other until they went to the piano. "Miss Darcy, would you play something for us? I would love to hear you play. I will turn the pages for you."

"All right, but please call me Georgiana, or just Georgie. Then you must play for us."

"I agree, but call me Elizabeth, or just Lizzy."

Georgiana played a piece, and Lizzy complimented her enthusiastically. "You are wonderful! I wish I could play as well as you. Perhaps you might give me some tips?" They changed places on the piano bench and Elizabeth played. Meanwhile, Darcy and Mrs. Gardiner sat watching the two girls, who were obviously enjoying each other's company. Mrs. Annesley had sat quietly, only joining the conversation once or twice.

Mrs. Gardiner stood up and said, "Come, Lizzy, we must not wear out our welcome. Miss Darcy, might we invite you and Mrs. Annesley to come to tea at our house? I warn you that with four young children, our house is not as quiet as yours."

Georgiana went up to Darcy and had a quiet word with him. He nodded, and she said, "I would like that. We would also like to have you, and your husband of course, come to dinner. As Elizabeth will not be in town too long, would next week be acceptable?"

Mrs. Gardiner was very surprised to be invited to dine. She looked at her niece, who was blushing again as she realized the invitation was mainly for her. "We would love that. I will check our schedule and suggest a day, if that is all right? But do come to tea before then."

The ladies left and Georgiana asked her brother, "Did you feel that went well? The more I see of Elizabeth, the better I like her."

"Yes, I enjoyed them, even though I did not talk to Miss Bennet much. Her aunt seems to be a very nice and genteel lady. You would never know her husband is in trade. Her manners are better than some of the grand ladies here in town. I hope her husband is as nice. I am looking forward to meeting him as he must have a successful business. I am always looking for good investment opportunities."

Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley went to Gracechurch Street for tea and certainly found that the Gardiner house was much noisier because of the four lively children. Georgiana had asked to meet them and was soon drawn into playing with them. Then she went to the piano and began to teach them to sing a very simple children's song. Finally Mrs. Gardiner sent the children up with their nurses so Georgiana could join the ladies. They finalized the date for the dinner at Darcy House before they departed.

Elizabeth was not as satisfied as she might have been as she had hoped that Darcy would have come with his sister. She was hoping that the attentions she was receiving from his sister indicated that he was renewing his interest in her. She had worried that his abrupt departure from Hertfordshire had meant the end of any hopes that she might have had for her future with him, so she was now confused at to his intentions. Just seeing him again rekindled the warm feelings that she had felt for him before.

The day of the dinner at Darcy House, Elizabeth dressed very carefully. When they arrived, they were greeted very warmly by Darcy and Georgiana and Mrs. Gardiner introduced her husband. As there were only six for dinner, it was not held in the formal dining room, which was very large, but in a smaller room that allowed for easier conversation. They spoke about many things, including Derbyshire and Elizabeth's travel plans. The surprise of the evening was Darcy's announcement that he had inveigled three extra invitations to a ball that his Aunt and Uncle Matlock were holding in just three days. He asked that the Gardiners accept these invitations as his guests, which they accepted. They were hesitant at first as this ball would be attended by members of the highest levels of society and by very few, if any other people from trade. However, Darcy assured them that they would not feel out of place and that he would introduce them to his relatives.

After dinner, Georgiana led the ladies to the music room while Darcy and Mr. Gardiner enjoyed some very fine port and cigars while they talked about business and investment opportunities. When they rejoined the ladies, Georgiana and Elizabeth took turns entertaining everyone on the piano.

When the guests left, Georgiana said, "Fitzwilliam, I do like the Gardiners and I hope that you are thinking seriously about Lizzy. I know she would make you happy and I would love to have her as my sister. What are your thoughts about her?"

"Georgie, you know that my main hesitation about Miss Bennet is whether bringing her into our family will affect our future in society. I asked for the extra invitations to the Matlocks' ball so they could meet her and decide if they will ease her way into society. Our Aunt and Uncle were very curious about her and will make their own decision about her suitability. If they approve of her, I will ask for her hand and hope that she will accept. Do you think she will?"

"I have not asked her what her feelings are for you, but I believe that she does like you. I see how she looks at you; just the same way that you look at her. You know that she will be going to visit her sister in Kent next week; will you speak to her before then? Have you told her that you might go to Rosings when she is there?"

"I admit that I am still hesitating about talking to her as I have to make sure that she will be accepted before I do anything. A lot depends on how the Matlocks receive her. I have not told her that I might go to Rosings as I have not yet decided. If everything goes well at the ball, I will follow her to Kent, but only after she has some time alone with her sister. I just might surprise her there."

The day of the ball Elizabeth dressed even more carefully in her nicest gown. She borrowed one of her Aunt's best necklaces and had her hair done up by the maid. Darcy picked them up in his carriage and took them to Matlock House. He introduced them to his Uncle, the Earl, his Aunt, the Countess, and their son, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, who was very striking in his full-dress uniform, sword and all.

Richard had been told about Darcy's mysterious guests and was keen to meet this lady as Darcy had never before been known to show any interest in any lady. As Richard and Darcy had been informal competitors all of their lives, Richard decided he would tease his cousin about this lady to see how serious he was about her. When they were introduced, Richard said, "Miss Bennet, it is so good to meet you. I can see that Darcy has an eye for beauty after all. No matter how many beauties we have introduced to him, he has never been interested in pursuing any of them. I see that he was only holding out for the best. May I have the honour of a dance with you, perhaps the first set?"

Darcy jumped in then, "Just a moment, Richard, not so hasty. As my guest, I believe that I have the honour of asking for the first set. Miss Bennet, would you honour me with that?"

Elizabeth could see immediately what was happening between the cousins. Naturally, she was flattered to have two gentlemen vying for her attention. "Mr. Darcy, I would be pleased to dance the first set with you. Colonel, my second set is open, if you are available." She thought that a bit of jealousy might be useful to see how serious Darcy was about her.

The Gardiners soon found that they did know several of the guests, so they did not feel so out of place in this grand setting. They even danced several times; once with their hosts who were obviously interested in getting to know them. At the end of the first set, Darcy brought Elizabeth back to his Aunt and Uncle so they could talk. Fortunately, Richard was not with them at this time, but he came to claim her for the second set. Darcy had noticed that he had attracted a lot of attention when he danced with Elizabeth as many people knew him and his apparent reticence to dance. The room was soon abuzz with people wondering who the unknown lady was. It was obvious that she was very attractive and that Darcy admired her.

When Richard danced with her, he quizzed her about her background and where she had met Darcy. He impressed her with his easy manners and conversation. It was obvious to her that he was interested in her, but she assumed that was only because she was the guest of his cousin. When he asked her how long she would be in town, she mentioned that she would soon be leaving to visit her sister in Kent, but he did not realize that she would be so close to Rosings. Richard finished their set very impressed by her beauty and obvious intelligence. He wondered at Darcy's intentions to her and regretted that he was not in a financial condition to pursue her himself. She was so different from every other lady that he had met in town.

When Richard returned her to the Matlocks, they were quickly approached by friends who sought introductions to her and reservations on her dance card. When she saw that her dance card would soon be filled, she carefully left the supper set for Darcy. As soon as she had the opportunity to speak to him again, she mentioned that she had left this important set open for him, although she blushed when she said this. He immediately requested this set. She noticed that he did not dance very often, other than sets with her and with his and her aunts. She did notice that he seemed to watch her while she danced with other gentlemen, but she always returned to either the Matlocks or the Gardiners between sets.

Elizabeth sat with Darcy during supper, and she thanked him profusely for his inviting them to this ball. Richard also came to sit with them, but she made sure that her attention was mainly on Darcy as she saw that he noticed the attention that Richard was paying her. The Gardiners also came to sit with them and Mrs. Gardiner said, "Mr. Darcy, you had asked if I had traveled to Derbyshire much. Mr. Gardiner and I were thinking of taking Elizabeth on a holiday this summer to the Lake District and we could easily stop in Lambton either going there or on our return. If we stopped in Lambton, would it be too much to request that we be allowed to tour Pemberley? Will you be there this summer?"

"My sister and I will be spending the whole summer at Pemberley and we would love to see you. However, instead of staying in Lambton, would you agree to stay with us? I imagine that you would want to spend some time in Lambton visiting and seeing old friends, but we are close enough and I have extra carriages there so that would not be a serious problem. If you are there long enough, we could even tour around the area to see some of the local sights."

Mrs. Gardiner looked at her husband in amazement at this offer of hospitality that was completely unexpected. He said, "That is a very generous offer, Mr. Darcy, and we would gladly accept. However, please understand that our plans are not completely settled as it depends on the needs of my business. I am expecting several large shipments this summer and I am not sure when the ships might arrive. I will likely not know for several months. I will certainly let you know when I hear more about their timing."

Darcy looked at Elizabeth. "We will be there all summer, so you just have to let us know. We will be glad to have you with us for as long as you can manage."

The rest of the ball went as well as the beginning, with Elizabeth enjoying dancing and talking to the Matlocks between sets. Near the end of the ball, Darcy went to the Matlocks while Elizabeth was dancing with Richard. "Well, Aunt, Uncle, what do you think of Miss Bennet?"

They were not fooled by his casual tone and knew that he was asking for their approval. This had been the very first time that Darcy had expressed interest in any young lady, so they knew that he was actually thinking very seriously about Miss Bennet. They realized that their answer could have a profound effect on his future. The Countess responded, "Darcy, from what we have seen of your Miss Bennet, she is certainly an unusual lady. While she is definitely not known in town and is not of the highest social classes, I believe that her natural beauty, intelligence, and personality will make it easy to have her accepted in society. Look at how well she has been received here tonight. If you do decide to get serious about her, I will gladly sponsor her in society."

The Earl saw that Darcy was still hesitating. They wanted him to settle down with a good woman, so he decided to push him. "Darcy, if you decide not to pursue Miss Bennet, you do not need to worry about her future. From Richard's reaction to her, instead of a niece, we may very well have her as a new daughter." He tried not to smile when he said this, but he did wink at his wife.

This statement hit Darcy hard. He looked to see where Richard was dancing a second set with Elizabeth, and saw that they were both chatting and smiling happily. "What about Georgiana? Would my connecting with Miss Bennet hurt her chances in society?"

His Aunt responded, "Darcy, you heard what I said about Miss Bennet. In any case, you have at least a year before she comes out. By then, your marriage will be old news. If you are worried about her family being in trade, that will not be a problem. From what we have seen with the Gardiners, they are not the least embarrassing and even found acquaintances here at the ball. They could easily be accepted for the good people that they are. We only want to see you happy."

At the end of the ball, the Gardiners went to their hosts and thanked them very politely for extending invitations to them. The Countess quietly said to Mrs. Gardiner, "It was our pleasure as we wanted to meet the lady who seems to have captured Darcy's heart. We both hope that it will work out for them and we will do whatever we can to help them."

Richard was effusive when they were about to depart. "Miss Bennet, I am so pleased to have met you. I hope that I will see you again soon." He almost lingered over her hand when he kissed it, much to Darcy's displeasure.

When Darcy dropped them off at the Gardiners' house, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner went in first, leaving Darcy and Elizabeth alone for a moment. "Miss Bennet, I hope you enjoyed your evening. I certainly did and hope that I will see you again before you leave for Kent." When she looked up at him and smiled, he wondered what she would do if he kissed her, which he wanted to do very much. However, he knew how improper that would be, so he only kissed her hand.

However, he did not see her again before she left, even though Georgie did come to Gracechurch Street once more. When she went home, she found her brother and said, "Fitzwilliam, why did you not make an effort to see Lizzy again? You know that she is going to Kent tomorrow?"

Georgiana made him feel guilty about his lack of attention to Miss Bennet, but he was still conflicted. He wanted Elizabeth very badly, but his whole upbringing had been with the expectation that he would marry someone of his own class. Yes, his Aunt and Uncle seemed to be in her favour, but somehow he did not feel comfortable about the thought of his lowering himself to her level. No matter how he had tried to forget her, he was coming to the conclusion that he just could not. He had almost decided to use his visit to Rosings to ask for her hand. The main problem with this plan was that Richard was going with him.


	12. Chapter 12

Several weeks after Lizzy's departure, Darcy and Richard left for Kent. Darcy was quite reluctant to make his annual visit to his Aunt, but he knew that her management of her Rosings estate was not great and that the estate needed his attention. She was so imperious and dictatorial that she would not listen to her tenants. Consequently, the estate did not produce as much revenue as it could. Darcy and Richard had, for the past several years, gone to Rosings at Easter to go through the estate books to make sure there were no gross errors. This task they did not mind; rather, it was his Aunt's increasing insistence that he marry her daughter Anne. Neither he nor Anne was interested in each other as potential mates, but that did not matter to Lady Catherine. Darcy delayed their trip to give Elizabeth time alone with her sister Mary before they arrived there.

Mary had been very pleased to see Lizzy as she was her first visitor, besides Lady Catherine who had to unpleasant habit of dropping in to the parsonage to tell Mary how to run her household, even where to place her furniture. As Collins listened with rapt attention to everything that his patroness said, Mary knew that she would have to start anew to train her husband to conform to her own ideas and ways of running her house after each of the Lady's visits.

Lizzy was impressed how Mary had organized the house and her husband. She had found a number of daily tasks for him that meant that they spent relatively little time together during the day. Lizzy found that Mary was quite content with her life, although she was lacking in intelligent conversation and company. While Mary found the parsonage very quiet after the clamor of Longbourn with its many inhabitants, she found that she actually missed the noise at times. She welcomed Lizzy and hoped they would have a lot of time together, both to catch up on the news and to talk about her new life.

Lizzy had missed her daily walks while in London, so the sight of the extensive Rosings woods made her want to explore them. She resisted this urge for the first couple of days to allow her time with her sister. Even though Mary had never been her favourite sister, she still felt a close connection to her and was interested in hearing about her new life. She was also keen to meet Lady Catherine as she had high expectations that this great lady would provide much amusement for her. When she thought about this, she realized how she was similar to her father in enjoying the follies that could be found in many people.

Soon after her arrival, the inhabitants of the parsonage were invited to tea at the manor house. Lizzy found that Lady Catherine did not disappoint her as she was as intrusive, inquisitive, and imperious as she had expected. She had to resist letting her wit and impertinence loose as she did not want to jeopardize Mary's life there. One of the most unanticipated aspects of her first visit to the manor house was her introduction to Anne and Lady Catherine's declaration that Anne would become Darcy's wife as soon as he lived up to her expectations. At first, Lizzy was stunned to hear this as Lady Catherine stated it as a fact, but upon reflection, she doubted its accuracy both because this was the first she had heard of it and she felt that Darcy's attention to herself would not have occurred if he were betrothed to his cousin. She knew that he was a gentleman.

After the first few days, Lizzy felt that she could no longer resist exploring the woods. She again began to wake early to walk as had been her habit in Longbourn, even though it was a bit cool so early at this time of year. Her first forays were relatively short as she did not want to get lost, but she soon felt comfortable enough to extend her roaming farther into the woods. She was pleased to find that there were a number of trails that tempted her to go further and further beyond the sight of either the parsonage or the manor house.

The first two weeks passed by quickly. They had received more invitations to take tea and even to have dinner with the great lady. At the last dinner they had attended, Lady Catherine was quite excited as she was expecting company. She announced, "Two of my nephews are coming for their annual visit. This time, Darcy will not leave before he sets a date for his wedding to my Anne. This time I will be unyielding until he does his duty to her." Lizzy smiled as she heard this, both because she would see Darcy again, and as she could not imagine that Darcy was interested in his sickly-looking cousin. However, upon reflection, she wondered if his apparent inability to make a decision about her was caused by his commitment to his cousin. At times, he seemed to be enamoured with her; at other times, he was inattentive to the point of bordering on rudeness. She hoped that this visit would see him come to a decision about her.

The parsonage heard nothing from the manor house the day the gentlemen were expected to arrive. However, the next morning, the visitors both rode up and were admitted to the parsonage. Collins was effusive in his gratitude for this visit from such illustrious nephews of his esteemed patroness, while both of them had eyes only for Elizabeth. The Colonel was the first to speak, "Miss Bennet, how good it is to see you again. When I heard that you might be here visiting your sister, I was very pleased to be able to renew our acquaintance. How have you been enjoying your visit to Kent?" Richard had been told by his parents that they hoped that Darcy would make a decision about Miss Bennet, so he decided he would try to precipitate Darcy's decision by again making him jealous.

"It is nice to see you again, also, Colonel. I have been enjoying seeing my sister in her new role as wife and mistress of the parsonage. I have also taken advantage of the Rosings woods by exploring them almost every day. I hope that this will not cause any problems? I admit that I missed walking while I was in London. I was in the habit of walking almost every day at home in Hertfordshire, as Mr. Darcy well knows."

"I certainly remember that. How are your family members? As I said before, Bingley is a poor correspondent, so I rarely hear anything from Netherfield. Are you still walking early?"

"Yes, I am. I do hear from Jane quite regularly and they seem as happy now as when they first married, even though it has been almost three months since their wedding. She and Mr. Bingley are well-suited to each other. My family members left at Longbourn are all in good health. It must be very quiet at home with only two of our sisters there at the moment. While my father must get pleasure from the relative peace and quiet, I imagine he will be pleased when I go back home.

"How is Miss Darcy? I miss her company."

"She is well and still in town. She is looking forward to returning to Pemberley for the summer. When I leave here, I will pick her up and go back up north. We both hope to see you there as well with your Aunt and Uncle. I do hope that you will accept my invitation to stay with us for as long as you can."

Richard did not like to feel excluded from this conversation, so he quickly began chatting on light topics until it was time for them to take their leave.

The next morning, when Lizzy went out for her walk, she found both gentlemen waiting for her. Richard was the first to speak, "Good morning, Miss Bennet. It is a beautiful day. When I asked Darcy about your walking habits, he told me that he planned to join you this morning. I could not let such a fine morning go to waste, so I insisted that I join him. I hope you do not mind?" He offered his arm before Darcy could react.

"Of course not, Colonel. What lady could resist two such charming companions?"

"_Two_ charming companions? Do you mean that Darcy had not been his usual taciturn and tongue-tied self with you as he normally is when he is with such a beautiful lady? Darcy! I am surprised. And here I hoped that I would be able to provide the conversation when we were together." Richard looked at Darcy and saw that he was becoming furious at him, probably both for dominating the conversation and for making him look bad. Richard decided that he was well-satisfied with his morning's work so far, so he hoped that Darcy would do well with her if they were alone.

"Miss Bennet, I hope you do not mind if I take this shortcut back to the stables? I want to check on my horse as I thought he was favouring one foot. Darcy, may I leave the care of this lovely lady in your hands? Do try to be nice to her. Good-day to you both." He left them to return to Rosings.

Elizabeth saw that Darcy was upset. "Mr. Darcy, should I assume from your cousin's conversation that you two tend to compete with each other and that he enjoys teasing you? Please, do not worry; I am not a prize to be won in some competition."

"I would never consider you in that way. You are worth much more than that. Yes, my cousin does love to tease me and he seems to know how to do it well. He has a knack for finding my weaknesses."

Now Lizzy thought she would tease him, although very gently. "Oh? Am I your weakness, Mr. Darcy?"

"Yes, you are. Miss Bennet, if I may be serious for a moment. Ever since I had to take over the responsibility of managing Pemberley and the care of my sister, I have been the object of pursuit by every unmarried young lady and their mothers that I met. I admit that I seem to have lost the ability of talking to ladies. I have found that just a small conversation seems to excite their expectations. That is why I cannot even ask a lady to dance. So now, when I have found an attractive lady that I admire for her intelligence and sparkling personality, I do not know how to talk to her, or to act around her. I know I am not saying this well, but you are a special lady."

"Mr. Darcy, I thank you for your kind words. I believe that I understand what you are saying." She blushed, but said, "I also think that you are a special kind of gentleman. But here we are back at the parsonage. Might I see you again tomorrow?"

"Definitely, if the weather holds." He took her hand from his arm and kissed it gently. "Good-day to you."

Unfortunately, the weather for the next several days proved to be rainy and windy, so no walks were possible. Darcy and Richard spent the time going over the Rosings ledgers, accomplishing a lot as they were trapped indoors. They did not see anyone from the parsonage because of the inclement weather. Just when they thought that the next day might bring better weather, Darcy received an express from his steward at Pemberley, saying that his presence was needed because of a crisis that had arisen there. He decided that he should leave early the next morning, and Richard decided to go back to town with him. When their aunt heard of their plans, she was very displeased as she had not achieved her goal of forcing Darcy to finalize her plans for her daughter. They managed to send a note to the parsonage telling them what had happened and apologizing for not being able to see them again. They left the next morning for London, where Darcy decided he should pick up Georgiana on his way to Pemberley.

Needless to say, Elizabeth was disappointed to hear that the two gentlemen had left Rosings. While she greatly enjoyed Richard's company, she had hoped that Darcy would speak to her about their future. Now she was not sure when, or even if, she might see him again. She knew that the Gardiners' proposed trip to the Lake Country was only a possibility that depended on the requirements of her uncle's business.


	13. Chapter 13

Elizabeth's visit to Mary came to an end, and she went to London as scheduled. She stayed several days at the Gardiners' house, but her aunt noticed that she was not in good spirits. "What is it, Lizzy? I thought that you would be pleased after your visit to Mary, but your mood is not good. What happened there?"

"Oh, Aunt! Darcy and his cousin were at Rosings when I was there, and we seemed to get along very well. I was hoping that he might speak to me about our future, but he was called away because of some crisis at Pemberley. Now I do not know what to think."

"Have you lost your heart to him?"

"Yes, I am afraid that I have. I know that he is the exact type of gentleman that would make a perfect husband for me. I thought that he was developing feelings for me as well, but he never said anything. I know that he was unsure if he should ask for my hand because our low social status might affect his, and especially Georgiana's future, but I thought that he had overcome that worry. Now he and Georgie are back up in Pemberley for the summer, so I do not know when I might see him again."  
"Our plans for a trip up north are still on, but your Uncle is still unsure when he can get away, or for how long. Even if it can only be for a couple of weeks, that should be enough time to go to Derbyshire. I really would like to see Lambton and some of my former friends who are still there. Do not forget that Mr. Darcy told us we would be welcome to stay at Pemberley any time we have available, so do not give up hope yet. As soon as Edward knows anything further about the ships that he is expecting, he will write to Mr. Darcy to make sure the invitation still stands, and we will pick you up on our way up north. We will be leaving the children at Longbourn, so that is no problem.

"Now, stop worrying and just enjoy your time here. You will be back home soon enough."

Elizabeth stayed in London for just a week as she had planned, and then she went to Longbourn, where her family, especially her father, was very pleased to see her. Charlotte was coming near her term, so she could not be very active. She welcomed Lizzy as she would be able to take some of the responsibility for managing the household from her until her energy level was back to normal, which would not be for some time after her delivery.

Lizzy almost immediately went to see Jane at Netherfield, where she was welcomed very affectionately. She saw that Jane was still glowing, even more than she had been before. Jane asked about her trip and quickly detected Lizzy's despondency. Lizzy tried to gloss over her discontent and asked Jane, "So, Jane, how are you finding married life? What is it now, almost four months? Are you still in raptures with your husband?"

As there had never been any secrets between the two, Jane said, "Lizzy, it is better now than ever. Charles is so sweet and fun to be with. We have never had a disagreement about anything. He is so loving and enthusiastic! Do you know that we have not missed making love even one night since our marriage? Usually every morning when we wake up, as well." Jane blushed when she said that. "Now I get as much pleasure as he does, every time! I cannot describe the feeling. I am in heaven! Oh, Lizzy, I hope that you will soon marry and find out for yourself what I mean. The only times we have missed is when I am indisposed, and then we just hold each other." Suddenly Jane stopped, deep in thought.

"Jane, what is it?"

"Lizzy, I just realized that I have not been indisposed for a full two months! You know what that means?"

"Oh, Jane, do you think you may be with child?"

"I must be; you know that I am never late. Please do not say anything to anyone. I want to be sure before I tell Charles, although there are no secrets between us. He will be so excited!"

Lizzy went back to Longbourn after they talked about this possibility for some time. Lizzy was almost as excited as Jane and could not wait until she was allowed to say anything about it. However, her happy mood was shattered when she arrived at Longbourn, as Kitty and Lydia had just learned that the militia regiment that had been in residence in Meryton for the winter was scheduled to depart for their summer quarters in Brighton in just a few weeks. Even though their freedom was still being restricted, they took every opportunity to go into Meryton to see if they might spy any red coats. They were never without a chaperone, so they were not allowed to flirt as much as they would like, but somehow they had managed to become acquainted with many of the red-coated officers.

Several days later, Lydia received an invitation from the wife of the regimental Colonel, Mrs. Forster, to come to Brighton with her for an extended visit. Lydia was ecstatic about this, and bragged about her good luck to have befriended this lady. Kitty was very disappointed not to have been invited to go along as well. While Lydia assumed that her father's permission to let her go would be almost assured, Lizzy was horrified. She knew that Lydia's basic behaviour, while less exuberant than it had been while their mother was still alive, was still not mature enough to leave her alone with no responsible family member in attendance. The thought of Lydia being let loose, unsupervised, in an army camp full of red coats, was appalling to her.

Lizzy first of all went to Charlotte to voice her concerns. When she found that Charlotte shared her fears, they went to Mr. Bennet to find what his thoughts were about Lydia's invitation. They were not pleased to learn that he was considering approving her request. He justified his thoughts by saying, "Lydia will never be easy till she has exposed herself in some public place or other, and we can never expect her to do it with so little expense or inconvenience to her family as under the present circumstances."

Lizzy countered his thoughts by saying, "Father, I am very concerned about the very great disadvantage to us all which must arise from the public notice of Lydia's unguarded and imprudent manner. Certainly, her behaviour is better now than it had been, but that is only because one of us is always with her when she is out in public. I worry that she will revert back to what she had been like if she is left unsupervised among a camp full of officers. I believe that Mrs. Forster is not the type of person we want to act as her chaperone; she is too young and not mature enough."

Mr. Bennet thought about this for a moment, and then said, "What say you, Mrs. Bennet? When we married, I promised to support you in whatever you needed to do to improve the behaviour of my youngest daughters."

"I agree with Lizzy. If we let Lydia go to Brighton, I am afraid that all of my efforts will have been in vain. She will run wild among so many red coats without proper supervision. The last thing we need if for her to create a scandal that will affect all of her sisters. We cannot risk a disgrace that would certainly affect their chances of marrying well."

Mr. Bennet sighed, as he knew that Lydia would cause serious problems for him when she learned of his refusal to let her go. However, he had promised Charlotte to support her and he did not dare to jeopardize the future prospects of his favourite daughter. As much as he hated conflict in his household, he knew he had to refuse her. "All right. I agree. Please send Lydia in to me."

Charlotte said, "Would you like me to be with you when you speak to her?"

"No. I had better take the full responsibility and leave you out of it as we do not want to put at risk your relationship with her. If she causes me too much grief, I will threaten her pin money and restrict her freedoms even more. In any case, my dear, I do not want you to be upset with your delivery being so close."

Charlotte was pleased to hear his concern about her. She certainly did not need any unnecessary distress at this time. When she sent Lydia in to her father, she and Lizzy waited outside his office and heard Lydia's loud wails and protests, but Mr. Bennet remained resolute. When Lydia came out, tears were streaming down her face and she ran up to her room. Lizzy waited for a while, and then went in to try to console her, without much success.

It was only a week after this problem had arisen that Charlotte announced one morning that she thought she was going into labour. Lizzy sent word to Lady Lucas, who had wanted to be with her daughter for this very important event, and to the midwife. Both soon arrived and went up to Charlotte. Lizzy also sent word to Jane, but suggested, after speaking to the midwife, that the delivery would not be for some hours, so she need not come right away. Lizzy thought that Jane would want to attend the delivery as none of the sisters had ever had a chance to see what it was like. Even Jane could barely remember the birth of her youngest sisters.

Charlotte and Lizzy had decided beforehand that the youngest two should not be around when her labour began as they were just too young for this experience. They thought it would likely be too traumatic for them. They had arranged with their Aunt Philips that they would stay with her until the baby was delivered. Lizzy told them to pack a change of clothing and she walked with them into the village and left them at their Aunt's.

Lizzy went back to Longbourn to hear that the labour pains had begun in earnest, as indicated by Charlotte's loud cries. She went to her Father, who was ensconced in his library. "Lizzy, this is going to be difficult for you to hear. Do not forget that I have experienced this five times already. Are you sure you want to be here, or would you rather go to Netherfield?"

"I want to support Charlotte however I can, so I would like to be here. I can hear that it will not be pleasant for us, but it must be much worse for Charlotte. At least she has her mother here with her now."

"Lizzy, they say it is the miracle of birth, and I agree. What is surprising is that the pain must be excruciating, but once the baby is delivered and is put in the mother's arms, she seems to forget that pain. The memory of it just disappears, or at least is not remembered in any detail. At least, that is how it was for your mother. I would not want you to be discouraged from having your own children because of this experience with Charlotte. With your mother, the first delivery was the worst, and then it got a bit easier each time. I have to admit that I am glad that I did not have to undergo that pain. I am not sure that I, or any man, would be strong enough to endure it."

All that long day, Lizzy either went up to Charlotte, or was down with her father. When Jane arrived, she accompanied Lizzy faithfully. They tried to comfort Charlotte, but were not sure they accomplished any good. Finally, that evening, the pains were coming almost continuously and Lady Lucas told them to go to their father as the birth was imminent. She did not want them to see the actual delivery. They were huddled with their father when they heard an exceptionally loud scream, then silence. This silence worried them all until they heard the distinctive cry of a baby.

They went up to the door of Charlotte's room and Lady Lucas came out carrying a bundle. "Mr. Bennet, you have a son. Charlotte is doing as well as can be expected. I will let you know when you can come in to see her."

She passed the baby to Mr. Bennet, who just beamed and said, "I have a son, a son!"

Then he passed his son to Jane, who kissed her brother. "What a darling child! He is so cute. I hope mine is just as good looking." Then she realized what she had said and blushed.

Her father said, "Jane, my dear, do you have some news for us?"

She said, "It is too early to know for sure, but I may be. Please do not say anything until I am sure." She passed the baby to Lizzy, who was just as enthusiastic about her brother as Jane was.

"Father, you have a son! That means the entail is broken. He will inherit Longbourn rather than Mr. Collins. I am so happy!"

Lady Lucas came out and said they could see Charlotte, but just for a moment as she needed her sleep. They all went in and Lizzy put the baby in Charlotte's arms. They each took turns kissing Charlotte's cheek. She just smiled tiredly and looked at her son. "Mr. Bennet, we did it. We have a son."

Lady Lucas shooed Mr. Bennet out of the room and put the baby to Charlotte's breast for his first feeding. Jane and Lizzy would not help themselves but they both had tears in their eyes on seeing this miracle. Lizzy whispered to Jane, "Next is your turn."

Mr. Bennet went down and found Mrs. Hill. "Mrs. Hill, give every staff member a glass of punch to celebrate. I have a son. Then send the carriage to collect the girls. Also, send a message to Sir William that he has a grandson and that he should come in the morning." She beamed at him and gave him her warmest congratulations, before going to do as he asked.

When Kitty and Lydia returned, they immediately wanted to see their brother and Lady Lucas passed him to them, even though he was sleeping peacefully. "Charlotte is sleeping, but you can look in on her. Just do not wake her." The two girls oohed and aahed over their brother, then gave him to Lady Lucas, who took him up to the nursery.

Everyone gathered in the sitting room, all very happy. Soon Jane left to return to Netherfield. Lady Lucas had decided to stay for several days to help Charlotte, so she went up to the guest room, tired from being with her daughter all day. Mr. Bennet was left with three of his daughters. Lydia was the one to say aloud what they were all thinking. "A brother! That means we will keep Longbourn no matter what happens. Father, I am so happy." The girls went up, leaving their father who barely noticed their good-night kisses. He was still in dreamland.


	14. Chapter 14

The christening of baby Thomas William Bennet, called just Tommy by his family, was very well attended as most of the local people knew of the entail on the Longbourn estate. Even the whole Gardiner family came for a quick visit. Sir William Lucas was almost as proud as Mr. Bennet, as this was his first grandchild and the baby had his name, even if it was only second. The Bingleys acted as godparents and were proud to do so as Jane was now quite sure she was also expecting.

While at Longbourn, Uncle Gardiner mentioned to Lizzy that he was now quite sure that he would not be able to take as long a vacation as he had hoped because of the expected ship arrivals. However, he said that he should be able to take a few weeks off, which would not allow them enough time to tour the Lake Country. As Aunt Gardiner wanted to visit Lambton very badly, they thought that they would take a slow trip to Derbyshire, visiting several prominent sights and great houses on their way. He asked Lizzy if she would be comfortable taking up Darcy's offer for them to stay at Pemberley. She had to think carefully about this as she was unsure why Darcy left Kent so abruptly with no word from him since. As she knew that she still felt deeply about Darcy, she told her Uncle that he could write to him to see if they would be welcome to stay at Pemberley.

When Mr. Gardiner returned to town, he wrote the following letter to Darcy.

_Mr. Darcy, I hope this letter finds you and your sister in good health. We just returned from Hertfordshire for the christening of Mr. Bennet's son and heir. Of course, they are very pleased at his having a son as that means that the entail of their estate is now broken._

_When we mentioned that we were considering making a trip to tour the Lake Country this summer with our niece, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, you invited us to stay with you at Pemberley rather than Lambton. You indicated that we would be welcome whenever we could make it there and stay for as long as our plans permit._

_ While my vacation plans are still not quite firm because I am expecting several ships to arrive in London this summer, I know that I will not be able to be away from my business for as long as I had hoped. Because of this, we decided that we would be able to travel only as far as Derbyshire so my wife can visit her home town of Lambton and visit some old friends who still reside there. If it is still convenient for you to host us, we will take advantage of your offer of hospitality. We expect that we would be there for approximately two weeks and should arrive there at the end of June._

_ I hesitate to remind you of your offer, as, while I have heard nothing definite, I believe that something may have occurred in Kent that might make our request uncomfortable for you. If your offer is still available, please let me know. If not, we can make alternative arrangements._

_ Sincerely, E. Gardiner_

When Darcy received this letter, he went to Georgiana and asked her, "Georgie, I had a letter from the Gardiners saying they will be coming to Derbyshire and would like to stay at Pemberley for two weeks. They will be bringing Miss Bennet. What do you think? Should we invite them to stay with us?"

Georgie squealed with delight. "Of course we should. I would love to see her again. When will they be here?"

"They expect to be here at the end of June. Now tell me seriously, do you think that I should ask her to be my wife?"

"Of course I do. She is perfect for you. If you do not ask her, you will regret it for the rest of your life. I think that she really likes you, so invite them and ask her while she is here. Just make sure that you ask her using the sweetest words and tell her that you love her. No woman could resist that. This is so romantic!" She gave her brother a hug.

"Thank you, Georgie. I believe that I will do as you suggest." Darcy went to his office and wrote the letter, assuring Mr. Gardiner that they would be very welcome to stay with them for as long as they can manage. When Mr. Gardiner received this message, he said to his wife that there could not have been anything seriously wrong between the two of them as Darcy seemed quite eager to welcome them. His wife passed the message to Lizzy. She could not help herself, but she embellished the tone of the enthusiasm in Darcy's letter, much to Lizzy's delight.

On the day expected, the Gardiners arrived at Longbourn to leave their children in the care of their aunts. Fortunately, she left their nurse and nanny with them as Charlotte was still quite busy with her own son. The next day, they left with Lizzy to make a leisurely trip toward Derbyshire. As they had planned, they saw the interesting sights that they had planned to see before arriving at Pemberley. Both Gardiners noticed that the farther north they went, the quieter Lizzy became. She was obviously nervous about her reception at Pemberley.

As they approached Pemberley, they entered its very extensive woods, riding for what seemed to be a long time before they finally saw the house. Lizzy was so impressed with her first sight of the house that she thought that to be mistress of such a fine estate would be something, indeed. Darcy must have had scouts watching for them, as he and Georgiana were waiting for them at the bottom of the steps, along with numerous staff who were lined up in respect. Darcy handed the ladies out of the carriage and Georgie immediately threw herself at Lizzy, enveloping her in a welcoming hug. When Darcy saw her do this, he wanted to do that himself, but he restrained himself with a very polite bow, which Lizzy returned with a deep curtsey when she managed to free herself from Georgie. Lizzy noticed that Darcy was watching her, even when he was greeting her aunt and uncle.

Darcy then introduced them to his housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds and the senior members of his staff. Meanwhile, footmen were unloading their luggage and taking it up to their rooms. Mrs. Reynolds showed the Gardiners to their rooms and Georgie took Lizzy up. On their way, they greatly admired the magnificence of the rooms they saw and the elegance of the furniture. Each of the guests had been assigned a personal attendant, which they had not expected.

Lizzy was surprised at the luxuriousness of her room, which was much larger than any room at Longbourn. The maid assigned to Lizzy introduced herself as Emma, who curtsied and said. "Miss Bennet, I have taken the liberty of preparing a hot bath for you. Shall I help you get ready? I have taken care of your clothes and picked out a dress that should be suitable for dinner. I will help you with your hair as well. The bath is just through this door."

As the thought of a hot bath was very welcome after traveling for hours, Lizzy stretched out in the large tub and relaxed. She was surprised when there was a knock on the door and Georgie opened it a crack and said, "Lizzy, I cannot wait to talk to you. May I come in, or should I wait until you are out of the tub?"

As Lizzy was used to having her four sisters in and out wherever they were, even in the bath, she invited her in. Georgie gave her a bit of privacy and sat behind her while Emma washed her hair. Georgie was bubbling over in her excitement at having Lizzy there. When Lizzy was out of the tub and Emma was drying her hair, Georgie said that she had to go to dress for dinner, but that she would see her downstairs when they were dressed.

When Lizzy was ready to go down, she asked Emma to show her the way to the drawing room where everyone was to gather. Darcy was the only one there when she arrived. He rose and bowed to her. "Miss Bennet, I am so glad to see you here. I have wanted to show you Pemberley for a long time. I must apologize for leaving you so abruptly in Kent. I had an emergency here and had to come back as soon as possible. I had hoped we would have more time together there."

"Apology accepted, Mr. Darcy. I do understand about some of the problems that can occur with an estate. How is your cousin, the Colonel? I noticed how much he likes to tease you. Have you two always been so competitive? I did enjoy his company, although it was difficult to take him seriously." Lizzy thought she should say this in case Darcy was worried about whether she had been attracted to his cousin.

"Richard can be quite the charming person when he wants to be. Yes, we have always been competitive since we were lads. I believe that he was trying to make me jealous when he paid so much attention to you, but I can certainly understand why he would be attracted to you. You are a very attractive lady, in fact, one of the most handsome of my acquaintance."

Lizzy blushed when he said that, but was saved from making a response as her Aunt and Uncle entered at that moment. They were followed by Georgiana and her companion, Mrs. Annesley. Conversation flowed easily as Darcy asked about their travels so far. Soon the butler announced that dinner was ready. Georgie smiled happily when she saw her brother offer his arm to Lizzy. As they were only six for dinner, they did not use the very large formal dining room, but were ushered to a smaller room that was also quite elegant. During dinner, they continued their discussion of where they had been and which local sights they hoped to see. Darcy offered the use of his carriages and grooms for them as his men knew the area very well. He suggested that an open carriage would be quite pleasant to use as long as the weather held.

At the end of the dinner, Lizzy saw Mrs. Annesley nod to Georgiana, who then rose and invited the ladies to join her in the music room. Darcy and Mr. Gardiner renewed their acquaintance and spoke mainly about business conditions and investment opportunities. They did not tarry for long as Darcy wanted to rejoin the ladies as soon as possible. When they entered the music room, Georgie was playing a piece on the piano. She was followed by Lizzy, while Darcy sat entranced with her.

The Gardiners did not stay up late, pleading tiredness from their day of travel. Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley went up not long after, leaving Darcy alone with Elizabeth. She realized how inappropriate this was, so she also stood to go up. Darcy offered to escort her to her room and she took his arm. He said, "Do you still walk early, Miss Bennet?"

"Yes, I hope to while we are here. I notice that you have extensive gardens that are very inviting. Until I learn my way around, I will not venture into the woods."

"The woods are very extensive, so please do not go where you cannot see the house. I told the gardeners that if they see you out alone, they should watch where you go to make sure that you do not get lost. I may even see you early." They reached the door to her room and she stopped to turn to him. He smiled at her and kissed her hand. He turned and left, leaving her a bit disappointed as she had hoped for more private time with him. She was not sure exactly what she wanted, but she remembered Jane's description of the intimacies of being with her husband, so she knew there was much more to being together than a simple kiss on the hand.

In the morning, she woke when the sun's first rays came through the curtains and felt quite refreshed as the bed was very comfortable. She dressed quickly in a simple dress without waiting for Emma and went down to find a door to the gardens. A footman almost smiled when he saw her, but directed her to a side door, where she found Darcy waiting for her. "Good morning Miss Bennet. I was hoping I might see you. Please let me show you the gardens." She took his arm and they went out. Immediately, they smelled the scent of roses hanging heavily in the still air. "Such a beautiful sight!" he murmured. As he was looking at her and not the roses, Lizzy blushed very becomingly. He spoke easily of the history of the gardens and the flowers and plants in it. They did not stay out long but soon went in to break their fast.

They found that the Gardiners were eating when they went in. Her Aunt and Uncle were very appreciative of the comforts that they had found in their rooms and how well-trained their valet and lady's maid were. They expressed their appreciation of being invited to Darcy, who accepted it with a smile. When Georgiana arrived, they talked about their plans for the day. The Gardiners suggested that a relatively quiet day would be welcome, so Darcy suggested that the morning be spent in showing them the house and gardens, with the possibility of a short trip to Lambton in the afternoon so Mrs. Gardiner could begin to find out which of her friends might still be there. Mr. Gardiner asked if there were any fishing to be found and Darcy said, "Our lakes and streams all are full of fish and need to be thinned out. I will gladly show you where to find tackle and the best spots. Of course, in return I expect to be able to enjoy eating fresh fish for dinner. I may even join you."

"I love to fish and rarely get the chance to partake in the sport. However, no guarantees about eating fish for dinner. It is called 'fishing' and not 'catching.' I will try my best, though." Mr. Gardiner turned to his wife with a smile, "My dear, if ever you cannot find me, I will be by the lakes somewhere." She smiled back at his happiness as she knew how rarely he found the time to enjoy the sport that he so loved.

The day was spent very pleasantly, as they had planned. In the afternoon, Darcy took the ladies into Lambton to shop and to allow Mrs. Gardiner to talk to the shopkeepers about her former friends, while her husband happily went down to the lake to try his luck. He was quite successful as Darcy's gamekeeper provided him with the appropriate tackle and showed him the best spots to fish. The people in Lambton were impressed that one of their own, the former Miss Madeline Barrie, was a guest at Pemberley. She soon found that several of her former friends were still living in the village, and she resolved to return when she had more time to visit them.

The next week was spent very pleasantly, with Mrs. Gardiner making several trips to Lambton to visit her friends when the whole group was not touring the area in two of Darcy's open carriages. Mr. Gardiner spent every free moment fishing, being joined by Darcy several times. They all enjoyed fresh fish several times for dinner. Lizzy and Georgie spent most of their time together, either roaming the property or playing the new piano that Darcy had purchased for his sister. Darcy was torn; while he wanted to spend as much time as he could with Elizabeth, he had estate matters that kept him quite busy. He also acted as a good host and made sure his guests were well entertained.


	15. Chapter 15

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: The final chapter!**

One evening, just a few days before their visit was to end, Elizabeth had gone up to her room and Emma helped her prepare for bed. She found that she could not sleep as she was upset that she had not spent much time alone with Darcy, apart from walking early in the morning. After spending time in bed worrying about their future, she decided that she should find a book that might help settle her restlessness. She put on a light robe and went down to the library with only a single candle to light the way.

When she entered the library, she saw another candle on a table, and then saw that Darcy was sitting on a chair with a book in his lap. He rose when she entered and he went to her, with neither saying a word. He took her candle and set it beside his. Then he reached out and touched her cheek with his fingers. When he did this, she turned her face up to him, looking steadily at him. He cupped her cheek with his hand and bent down to her until their faces were almost touching. She closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly in a smile. He accepted this invitation and kissed her gently. She immediately reached up and put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. His gentle kiss quickly became deeper and more passionate and he put his arms around her to pull her tight against him.

When she felt him pressing against her, her legs seemed to lose their strength and she began to sag. He immediately put an arm behind her knees and picked her up, without losing her lips. It was as if she weighed nothing, he was so bursting with energy. He carried her over to the nearest sofa and sat down with her still in her arms. They continued their kiss and his hands began to explore her body. He felt, rather than heard, her moan in the back of her throat when he did this. He stretched out on the sofa with her partly under her, and continued to run his hands over her body. Every touch seemed to inflame her more and more.

"Elizabeth, my Elizabeth," he murmured when their lips parted. He began to kiss her face, her neck. His kisses moved down her throat and he undid the laces at the top of her robe and nightgown, continuing to kiss the softness that he found there.

Her hands rubbed over his back. She was thinking of how wonderful his kisses and hands were feeling. She then thought of Jane's description of the delights that would be had. "Fitzwilliam, please do not stop. I love you so much. I want you to love me. You will not hurt me, will you?"

Her words seemed to wake him and he stopped caressing her. He moved his head off her chest and laid it against her face. "My darling, I would never hurt you. I love you, but we cannot do this yet. I want you so badly that I do not want to stop. Please tell me to stop."

"I want you as well and will do whatever you ask of me. Fitzwilliam, I have loved you for so long."

He lay still and held her tightly in his arms, slowly regaining control over himself. "Elizabeth, I love you. I have loved you for a long time but it took me so long to realize it. I want only the best for you. I want you but will wait until we are married. Will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes! Any time you want; even tonight; even right now."

"My darling! Please do not tempt me so. I would like nothing more than to take you as my wife right here and now, but we will do this right. I know that we should marry as soon as possible or my self-control may not survive. I want you so much." He got off her reluctantly and helped her stand. "One more kiss to seal our decision." This kiss lacked the urgency of their other ones; it was a kiss of love and not passion. "You have made me very happy. I will do whatever I can to be the best husband you could ever want. Now, we have to go up to our separate rooms before we do something we might regret. It will not be too long before we will not have to be apart ever again." He put his arm around her and led her up the stairs to her room, where they enjoyed a last kiss that seemed to go on forever. They just melted into each other. It was with great reluctance that he left her to go to his own room. Elizabeth went to sleep with a smile on her face, dreaming of kisses and gentle caresses.

In the morning, they did not rise early enough to walk, but met only in the breakfast room, where the others had already gathered. Their smiles when they saw each other were so obvious that everyone knew that something had happened. Darcy went to her and said, "We have an announcement to make. Last night I asked Miss Elizabeth to be my wife and she said yes."

This was as far as he got as Georgiana immediately squealed her delight and ran to them, hugging them both. "Oh, Lizzy! I am so happy for you both. I knew this would happen and have wanted nothing more than to call you my sister. Fitzwilliam, I am so glad you finally decided that you two are perfect for each other. When is it to be?"

The Gardiners both went to them to add their heartfelt congratulations. "We have not decided on a date, but I want it to be as soon as possible. I know that I cannot live without her any longer. Mr. Gardiner, may we talk right after breakfast?"

As he had a suspicion that there was a lot being left unsaid, he said, "Yes, we should. Now, shall we finish eating, or is everyone too excited to eat?" It was a merry meal that they made, with all the ladies talking at once.

After they finished eating, the gentlemen went into Darcy's office. "Darcy, I hope that you have not anticipated your vows. I know that you are a gentleman, but passion can easily overcome reason."

"We did not, although I admit that I was sorely tempted. Elizabeth has captured me, heart and soul. There is nothing I would not do for her. Now, as you are standing in for her father, may I assume that we have your permission?"

"Yes, definitely; my permission and my blessing. I believe that you two are perfect for each other. I agree that you had better marry as soon as possible as I see how you two are together. I know that now a discussion of financial details would be in order, but I have no doubt about your ability to support a wife. May I assume that your settlement on my niece will be quite reasonable? You know that her dowry is minimal?"

"Her dowry is of no concern to me. Yes, I will settle a generous amount on her so she never has to worry about that. I will write to my solicitors to prepare the necessary agreements. I believe I should send an express to Mr. Bennet asking for his formal permission. I will also ask that he have the banns read as I assume we will be married in Meryton as soon as possible. I will ask Elizabeth to include a note with mine. Would you also like to add a note?"

"Yes, I will. I am sure that Bennet will have no objection to you, but I will assure him of your suitability and devotion to his favourite daughter. Now, should we rejoin the ladies?"

The bulky express was sent off that very day. It became even larger as Elizabeth included notes to both Jane and Charlotte. To Jane, she described how they had nearly anticipated their vows as she wanted to experience the pleasures that Jane had described, but that Darcy had somehow found the will to stop in time. To Charlotte, she explained her situation and asked that she begin to prepare for a quick wedding as she said that she had waited long enough for him.

They decided to stay as long as they had planned as there were still sights to be seen in the area. The only changes that Lizzy noticed were that Georgie was more animated at the thought of having a sister and that either her Aunt, or her Uncle, or both, always seemed to be with her when she was with Darcy. Every night, her Aunt escorted her up to her room and only gave her a brief time to say her good-nights to Darcy in privacy, which they certainly used to the full. The more Lizzy was with Darcy, the surer she was that they needed to marry as soon as possible. Her self-control seemed to evaporate whenever she was with him.

When they left Derbyshire, they went in three carriages as the Darcys accompanied the Gardiners. The third carriage was used for their luggage and staff. Darcy had sent an express to Bingley asking that he be allowed to stay at Netherfield, to which Bingley was pleased to agree. Bingley also added that he would be pleased to host any of Darcy's relatives who might attend the wedding. This was fortunate, as the Matlocks did come, as did the Colonel.

Elizabeth had invited Mary and Collins, but only Mary came for the wedding. She explained that Lady Catherine was so upset with the thought that Darcy was marrying someone other than her own daughter that Collins did not dare ask her for permission to go.

When they arrived at Longbourn, the Gardiner children were excited to see their parents after being weeks apart. Although Mr. Gardiner had to get back to his business right away, Mrs. Gardiner and the children stayed for the wedding. Mr. Gardiner promised to return for a quick trip so he would not miss the ceremony, but then the Gardiners would all return to their home in London.

Georgiana had asked Darcy and Lizzy if she might stay with the Bennets as she wanted to get to know her new sisters. The Gardiners occupied the guest room; Georgiana had Jane's old room; so with Mary in her old room and the children in the nursery, Longbourn was quite full. However, they all had a merry time together, playing with the children when they were not helping to plan the wedding or visiting the Netherfield party.

The night before the wedding, Jane had asked that everyone come to Netherfield for dinner as their dining room was large enough for such a large number of diners. The Colonel was a great hit with Lydia and Kitty as he wore his full-dress uniform. His sword fascinated the Gardiners' sons and they decided they wanted to become soldiers when they grew up. They ended the evening with music as both Georgiana and Elizabeth showed their prowess on the piano. The Gardiners did not stay late as their children were getting tired. Mr. Bennet and Charlotte also did not stay much longer as they decided that Lizzy would need her rest for her big day. Gardiner had warned Bennet about the danger of leaving the betrothed alone for too long, so her father gave them only a few moments to say their good-byes, saying that they would have the rest of their lives together. Richard continued his teasing of Darcy by interrupting their privacy, asking if he might be able to say good-night to Elizabeth as well. Darcy was quite rude to him in response.

Their plans were that the newlyweds would spend a week alone at Darcy House, so Georgiana asked to stay at Longbourn during that time. She, Kitty and Lydia had become great friends, so Charlotte and Darcy agreed. Darcy's carriage would return for her at the end of the week.

The wedding day began with bright sunshine, which everyone decided was a good omen. The Longbourn ladies all helped Lizzy dress, so that was quite a lively event. The church was packed as Lizzy had been well-liked and all the local residents wanted to see her happy. Darcy had been welcomed in the village when he had been there before. The presence of a real Earl and Countess added to the excitement. When Lizzy entered the church on her father's arm, she had eyes only for Darcy, who was waiting for her with Bingley at the front of the church. She barely knew what the parson was saying; her thoughts were all on him.

The wedding breakfast was held at Netherfield as they decided that Longbourn would not be large enough for all the people they expected would come. They were quite right. Everyone wanted to wish the newlyweds well, so they had a difficult time getting away. Their final good-byes were to their families, which were notable for the many tears, kisses, and well-wishes that marked this time. They finally managed to leave and were alone in the carriage. They used this time to their best advantage and were never out of each other's arms for the whole trip to town.

When they arrived at Darcy House, the staff welcomed the new Mrs. Darcy very warmly as they remembered her from her visits to Miss Darcy. They soon made their way upstairs to their suites. They did not leave those rooms for the first three days there, but not one staff member commented on that, as much as they smiled about it. Finally, on the fourth day, they actually got dressed and came down to dinner, to the great delight of all of their staff.

They spent the next several days shopping for a complete new wardrobe for Mrs. Darcy, who was welcomed warmly in every shop as she was accompanied by the Countess of Matlock, who was very well known in the best shops. The only visits they made were to the Matlocks and the Gardiners, who were polite enough not to remark on the special glow on their faces. Richard was not so polite and teased Darcy mercilessly. Darcy ignored his jibes except to smile at whatever he said, thinking that Richard was jealous of his good fortune.

Georgiana rejoined them at the end of the week and even she, in her maidenly innocence, noticed how much they touched each other and smiled their secret smiles. She did not comment on their frequent disappearances for an hour each time. They stayed in town only long enough for Elizabeth to pick up all of her new clothes and other purchases, as they decided they would return to Pemberley as soon as they could. They decided they would return to Darcy House after Christmas so they could enjoy some of the season's entertainments. They knew that many of their friends, and even casual acquaintances, would want to meet the unknown lady who had captured one of the most eligible and desirable bachelors.

Thus their married life began on a very happy note, and so it continued for many years.

THE END

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you enjoyed my story. In my mind, Elizabeth has a very passionate nature, so I hope you are not upset at her because of her behaviour near the end of the story. Of course, all comments are welcome.**

**If you enjoy my stories, I am currently writing another and hope to begin posting it soon. Roni**


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